Reconfigurable and polarization-dependent optical filtering for transflective full-color generation utilizing low-loss phase-change materials

All-dielectric metasurface, which features low optical absorptance and high resolution, is becoming a promising candidate for full-color generation. However, the optical response of current metamaterials is fixed and lacks active tuning. In this work, we demonstrate a reconfigurable and polarization-dependent active color generation technique by incorporating low-loss phase change materials(PCMs) and CaF_2 all-dielectric substrate. Based on the strong Mie resonance effect and low optical absorption structure, a transflective, full-color with high color purity and gamut value is achieved. The spectrum can be dynamically manipulated by changing either the polarization of incident light or the PCM state. High transmittance and reflectance can be simultaneously achieved by using low-loss PCMs and substrate. The novel active metasurfaces can bring new inspiration in the areas of optical encryption, anti-counterfeiting, and display technologies.

Enhanced properties of stone coal-based composite phase change materials for thermal energy storage

Phase change materials (PCMs) can be incorporated with low-cost minerals to synthesize composites for thermal energy storage in building applications.Stone coal (SC) after vanadium extraction treatment shows potential for secondary utilization in composite preparation.We prepared SC-based composite PCMs with SC as a matrix,stearic acid (SA) as a PCM,and expanded graphite (EG) as an additive.The combined roasting and acid leaching treatment of raw SC was conducted to understand the effect of vanadium extraction on promoting loading capacity.Results showed that the combined treatment of roasting at 900℃ and leaching increased the SC loading of the composite by 6.2%by improving the specific surface area.The loading capacity and thermal conductivity of the composite obviously increased by 127%and 48.19%,respectively,due to the contribution of 3wt% EG.These data were supported by the high load of 66.69%and thermal conductivity of 0.59 W·m^(-1)·K-1of the designed composite.The obtained composite exhibited a phase change temperature of 52.17℃,melting latent heat of 121.5 J·g^(-1),and good chemical compatibility.The SC-based composite has prospects in building applications exploiting the secondary utilization of minerals.

Scattered Co-anchored MoS_(2)synergistically boosting photothermal capture and storage of phase change materials

Pristine phase change materials(PCMs)suffer from inherent deficiencies of poor solar absorption and photothermal conversion.Herein,we proposed a strategy of co-incorporation of zero-dimensional(OD)metal nanoparticles and two-dimensional(2D)photothermal materials in PCMs for efficient capture and conversion of solar energy into thermal energy.Highly scattered Co-anchored MoS_(2)nanoflower cluster serving as photon and phonon triggers was prepared by in-situ hydrothermal growth of ZIF67 polyhedron on 2D MoS_(2)and subsequent high-temperature carbonization.After encapsulating thermal storage unit(paraffin wax),the obtained composite PCMs integrated high-performance photothermal conversion and thermal energy storage capability.Benefiting from the synergistic enhancement of OD Co nanoparticles with localized surface plasmon resonance effect,carbon layer with the conjugation effect and 2D MoS_(2)with strong solar absorption,composite PCMs exhibited a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 95.19%,Additionally,the resulting composite PCMs also demonstrated long-term thermal sto rage stability and durable structu ral stability after 300 thermal cycles.The proposed collabo rative co-incorporation strategy provides some innovative references for developing next-generation photothermal PCMs in solar energy utilization.

Comparative Analysis of Reaction to Fire and Flammability of Hemp Shives Insulation Boards with Incorporated Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials

Nowadays buildings contain innovative materials,materials from local resources,production surpluses and rapidly renewable natural resources.Phase Change Materials(PCM)are one such group of novel materials which reduce building energy consumption.With the wider availability of microencapsulated PCM,there is an opportunity to develop a new type of insulating materials,combinate PCM with traditional insulation materials for latent heat energy storage.These materials are typically flammable and are located on the interior wall finishing yet there has been no detailed assessment of their fire performance.In this research work prototypes of low-density insulating boards for indoor spaces from hemp shives using carbamide resin binder and cold pressing were studied.Bench-scale cone calorimeter tests were conducted to evaluate fire risk,with a focus on assessing material flammability properties and the influence of PCM on the results.In this research,the amount of smoke,heat release rate,effective heat of combustion,specific extinction coefficient,mass loss,carbon dioxide yield,specific loss factor,ignition time of hemp straws samples and samples of hemp straws with 10%and without PCM admixture were compared.There is a risk of flammability for PCM and their fire reaction has not been evaluated when incorporating PCM into interior wall finishing boards.The obtained results can be used by designers to balance the potential energy savings of using PCM with a more complete understanding and predictability of the associated fire risk when using the proposed boards.It also allows for appropriate risk mitigation strategies.

Enhanced entropy generation and heat transfer characteristics of magnetic nano-encapsulated phase change materials in latent heat thermal energy storage systems

The objective of the current study is to investigate the importance of entropy generation and thermal radiation on the patterns of velocity,isentropic lines,and temperature contours within a thermal energy storage device filled with magnetic nanoencapsulated phase change materials(NEPCMs).The versatile finite element method(FEM)is implemented to numerically solve the governing equations.The effects of various parameters,including the viscosity parameter,ranging from 1 to 3,the thermal conductivity parameter,ranging from 1 to 3,the Rayleigh parameter,ranging from 102 to 3×10^(2),the radiation number,ranging from 0.1 to 0.5,the fusion temperature,ranging from 1.0 to 1.2,the volume fraction of NEPCMs,ranging from 2%to 6%,the Stefan number,ranging from 1 to 5,the magnetic number,ranging from 0.1 to 0.5,and the irreversibility parameter,ranging from 0.1 to 0.5,are examined in detail on the temperature contours,isentropic lines,heat capacity ratio,and velocity fields.Furthermore,the heat transfer rates at both the cold and hot walls are analyzed,and the findings are presented graphically.The results indicate that the time taken by the NEPCMs to transition from solid to liquid is prolonged inside the chamber region as the fusion temperatureθf increases.Additionally,the contours of the heat capacity ratio Cr decrease with the increase in the Stefan number Ste.

Effect of carbon fiber on thermal properties of n-Docosane phase change materials

The improvement of the heat transfer rate of phase change material（PCM）is studied by mixing with carbon fiber（CF）which is a good heat conductor.The composite PCM is prepared by blending CF and n-Docosane and its thermal performance is tested using the method of differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）analysis and thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis（TG/DTA）.In addition,the influence of the mixing amount and the length of CF on the thermal conductivity of n-Docosane are investigated.The results show that CF can significantly improve the heat transfer rate of n-Docosane,and the mixing amount and the length of CF are two influence factors.The heat storage and release rates increase with the increase in the mixing amount of CF.Moreover,the melting point of n-Docosane is increased from 40.2 to 50.8 ℃ after being mixed with CF.The heating time is decreased from 720 to 660 s by mixing with 6% of CF,and is decreased to 600 s by mixing with 10% of CF.

Heat transfer enhanced inorganic phase change material compositing carbon nanotubes for battery thermal management and thermal runaway propagation mitigation

Developing technologies that can be applied simultaneously in battery thermal management(BTM)and thermal runaway(TR)mitigation is significant to improving the safety of lithium-ion battery systems.Inorganic phase change material(PCM)with nonflammability has the potential to achieve this dual function.This study proposed an encapsulated inorganic phase change material(EPCM)with a heat transfer enhancement for battery systems,where Na_(2)HPO_(4)·12H_(2)O was used as the core PCM encapsulated by silica and the additive of carbon nanotube(CNT)was applied to enhance the thermal conductivity.The microstructure and thermal properties of the EPCM/CNT were analyzed by a series of characterization tests.Two different incorporating methods of CNT were compared and the proper CNT adding amount was also studied.After preparation,the battery thermal management performance and TR propagation mitigation effects of EPCM/CNT were further investigated on the battery modules.The experimental results of thermal management tests showed that EPCM/CNT not only slowed down the temperature rising of the module but also improved the temperature uniformity during normal operation.The peak battery temperature decreased from 76℃to 61.2℃at 2 C discharge rate and the temperature difference was controlled below 3℃.Moreover,the results of TR propagation tests demonstrated that nonflammable EPCM/CNT with good heat absorption could work as a TR barrier,which exhibited effective mitigation on TR and TR propagation.The trigger time of three cells was successfully delayed by 129,474 and 551 s,respectively and the propagation intervals were greatly extended as well.

Actively tuning anisotropic light-matter interaction in biaxial hyperbolic materialα-MoO_(3) using phase change material VO_(2) and graphene

Anisotropic hyperbolic phonon polaritons(PhPs)in natural biaxial hyperbolic materialα-MoO_(3) has opened up new avenues for mid-infrared nanophotonics,while active tunability ofα-MoO_(3) PhPs is still an urgent problem necessarily to be solved.In this study,we present a theoretical demonstration of actively tuningα-MoO_(3) PhPs using phase change material VO_(2) and graphene.It is observed thatα-MoO_(3) PhPs are greatly dependent on the propagation plane angle of PhPs.The insulator-to-metal phase transition of VO_(2) has a significant effect on the hybridization PhPs of theα-MoO_(3)/VO_(2) structure and allows to obtain actively tunableα-MoO_(3) PhPs,which is especially obvious when the propagation plane angle of PhPs is 900.Moreover,when graphene surface plasmon sources are placed at the top or bottom ofα-MoO_(3) inα-MoO_(3)/VO_(2)structure,tunable coupled hyperbolic plasmon-phonon polaritons inside its Reststrahlen bands(RB s)and surface plasmonphonon polaritons outside its RBs can be achieved.In addition,the above-mentionedα-MoO_(3)-based structures also lead to actively tunable anisotropic spontaneous emission(SE)enhancement.This study may be beneficial for realization of active tunability of both PhPs and SE ofα-MoO_(3),and facilitate a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of anisotropic light-matter interaction inα-MoO_(3) using functional materials.

Research on microcapsules of phase change materials

Microcapsule technology is a kind of technology wrapping the solid or liquid into minute-sized particles within the field of micrometer or millimeter with film forming materials. This thesis introduces microcapsule technology of phase change materials and its main functions and the structural composition, preparation methods and characterization technology of microcapsule of phase change materials. The microcapsule of phase change materials is small in size and its temperature remains unchanged during the process of heat absorption and heat release. It is of great value in research and application prospect due to these characteristics.

Feasibility Research of Using Phase Change Materials to Reduce the Inner Temperature Rise of Mass Concrete

In order to evaluate the feasibility of using phase change materials to reduce the inner temperature rise of mass concrete, the interior temperature of normal concrete specimen under semi-adiabatic curing condition was measured. The effect of embedding phase change material(PCM) and replacing water with suspension of phase change material(SPCM) as cooling fluid were compared in the experiment. The cooling effect and the affecting factors were analyzed and calculated. The research results showed that the peak of inner temperature could be decreased obviously by the method of pre-embeding PCM in concrete, however, this method is only effective in the initial stage of cement hydration process. Besides, the volume of PCM is rather big and the PCM can not be used circularly, which means that this method can only be used under special condition and the feasibility is low. When SPCM was used as cooling fluid, the interior temperature rise of mass concrete was reduced more effectively, and the temperature grads peak around the cooling pipe was also reduced. Besides, both the SPCM consumption amount and the circulation time were decreased, and most important is that the SPCM is recyclable. The technical and economical feasibility of using SPCM to reduce the inner temperature rise of mass concrete is high.

Energy Storage Properties of Phase Change Materials Prepared from PEG/CPP

New kinds of solid-solid phase change materials have been prepared in our laboratory. In these materials, the rigid polymer chlorinated polypropylene is taken as skeletons and the flexible polymer polyethylene glycol 6000 and polyethylene glycol 10000 are taken as functional chains. Results show that chlorinated polypropylene grafted by polyethylene glycol 10000 has greater enthalpy than chlorinated polypropylene grafted by polyethylene glycol 6000.

Mica-stabilized polyethylene glycol composite phase change materials for thermal energy storage

Mica was used as a supporting matrix for composite phase change materials(PCMs)in this work because of its distinctive morphology and structure.Composite PCMs were prepared using the vacuum impregnation method,in which mica served as the supporting material and polyethylene glycol(PEG)served as the PCM.Fourier transform infrared and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the addition of PEG had no effect on the crystal structure of mica.Moreover,no chemical reaction occurred between PEG and mica during the vacuum impregnation process,and no new substance was formed.The maximum load of mica-stabilized PEG was 46.24%,the phase change temperature of M_(400)/PEG was 46.03℃,and the latent heat values of melting and cooling were 77.75 and 77.73 J·g^(−1),respectively.The thermal conductivity of M_(400)/PEG was 2.4 times that of pure PEG.The thermal infrared images indicated that the thermal response of M_(400)/PEG improved relative to that of pure PEG.The leakage test confirmed that mica could stabilize PEG and that M_(400)/PEG had great form-stabilized property.These results demonstrate that M_(400)/PEG has potential in the field of building energy conservation.

Bifunctional Liquid Metals Allow Electrical Insulating Phase Change Materials to Dual-Mode Thermal Manage the Li-Ion Batteries

Phase change materials(PCMs)are expected to achieve dual-mode thermal management for heating and cooling Li-ion batteries(LIBs)according to real-time thermal conditions,guaranteeing the reliable operation of LIBs in both cold and hot environments.Herein,we report a liquid metal(LM)modified polyethylene glycol/LM/boron nitride PCM,capable of dual-mode thermal managing the LIBs through photothermal effect and passive thermal conduction.Its geometrical conformation and thermal pathways fabricated through ice-template strategy are conformable to the LIB’s structure and heat-conduction characteristic.Typically,soft and deformable LMs are modified on the boron nitride surface,serving as thermal bridges to reduce the contact thermal resistance among adjacent fillers to realize high thermal conductivity of 8.8 and 7.6 W m^(−1) K^(−1) in the vertical and in-plane directions,respectively.In addition,LM with excellent photothermal performance provides the PCM with efficient battery heating capability if employing a controllable lighting system.As a proof-of-concept,this PCM is manifested to heat battery to an appropriate temperature range in a cold environment and lower the working temperature of the LIBs by more than 10℃ at high charging/discharging rate,opening opportunities for LIBs with durable working performance and evitable risk of thermal runaway.

Multiple structure graphite stabilized stearic acid as composite phase change materials for thermal energy storage

This paper used 3 types of graphite with different physical structures as the porous matrix to prepare composite phase change materials(PCMs),and investigated their photo-thermal conversion performance and application in battery thermal management.Multiple structure graphite minerals,including microcrystalline graphite(MG),scale graphite(SG),and expanded graphite(EG)were used as porous matrix,while stearic acid(SA)acts as the phase change material.The vacuum impregnation method was applied to prepare SA/MG,SA/SG,SA/EG,and SA/MG1,and SA/EG1was/were prepared by the ethyl alcohol method.Results show that the thermal conductivities of all composite phase change materials were 10.82 to 22.06 times higher than that of the pure SA.Thermogravimetric(TG)analysis showed that the loadages of SA were 43.61%,18.74%,and 92.66%for SA/MG,SA/SG,and SA/EG respectively.The load rates of SA were 18.98%and 18.88%for SA/MG1 and SA/EG1,respectively.For the 3 types of graphite materials of different dimensions,the BET(Brunauer,Emmett,and Teller)surface area determines the maximum load of SA.The Fourier-transform infrared(FTIR)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)results indicated that there was good compatibility between the SA and the supports.The SA/EG1 has better thermophysical properties in heat energy storage and release process.The thermal infrared images show that SA/EG1 has higher sensitivity to the temperature changes.SA/EG1 has better photo-heat conversion performance than SA/SG and SA/MG1 attributed to the multilayer structure of EG.SA/EG has better thermal management performance in the Li-ion batteries discharge process.

Phase change materials as quenching media for heat treatment of 42CrMo4 steels

In the present work,paraffin phase change material is used as quenchant for the heat treatment of 42CrMo4 alloy and compared with water,air,and CuO doped paraffin.The samples were prepared based on ASTM E 8M-98 standard for tensile test and then heated up to 830°C,kept for 4 h in an electric resistance furnace and then quenched in the mentioned media.Elastic modulus,yield strength,ultimate tensile strength,elongation,and modulus of toughness were determined according to the obtained stress?strain curves.Moreover,the hardness and microstructural evolution were investigated after the heat treatment at different media.The samples quenched in paraffin and CuO-doped paraffin are higher in ultimate tensile strength(1439 and 1306 MPa,respectively)than those quenched in water(1190 MPa)and air(1010 MPa).The highest hardness,with a value of HV 552,belonged to the sample quenched in CuO-doped paraffin.The microstructural studies revealed that the non-tempered steel had a ferrite/pearlite microstructure,while by quenching in water,paraffin and CuO-doped paraffin,ferrite/martensite microstructures were achieved.It is also observed that using the air as quenchant resulted in a three-phase bainite/martensite/ferrite microstructure.

A New Kind of Shape-stabilized Phase Change Materials

Based on the lowest melting point and Schroeder’s theoretical calculation formula,nano- modified organic composite phase change materials（PCMs）were prepared.The phase transition temperature and the latent heat of the materials were 24℃and 172 J/g,respectively.A new shape-stabilized phase change materials were prepared,using high density polyethylene as supporting material.The PCM kept the shape when temperature was higher than melting point.Thus,it can directly contact with heat transfer media.The structure,morphology and thermal behavior of PCM were analyzed by FTIR,SEM and DSC.

Combined powder metallurgy routes to improve thermal and mechanical response of Al−Sn composite phase change materials

Powder metallurgy processes are suitable to produce form-stable solid−liquid phase change materials from miscibility gap alloys.They allow to obtain a composite metallic material with good dispersion of low-melting active phase particles in a high-melting passive matrix,preventing leakage of the particles during phase transition and,therefore,increasing the stability of thermal response.Also,the matrix provides structural properties.The aim of this work is to combine conventional powder mixing techniques(simple mixing and ball milling)to improve active phase isolation and mechanical properties of an Al−Sn alloy.As matter of fact,ball milling of Sn powder allows to reduce hardness difference with Al powder;moreover,ball milling of the two powders together results in fine microstructure with improved mechanical properties.In addition,different routes applied showed that thermal response depends on the microstructure and,in particular,on the particle size of the active phase.In more detail,coarse active phase particles provide a fast heat release with small undercooling,while small particles solidify more slowly in a wide range of temperature.On the other hand,melting and,consequently,heat storage are independent of the particle size of the active phase.This potentially allows to“tailor”the thermal response by producing alloys with suitable microstructure.

Tightened1D/3Dcarbonheterostructure infiltratingphase change materials for solar-thermoelectric energy harvesting:Faster and better

Extensive use of thermal energy in daily life is ideal for reducing carbon emissions to achieve carbon neutrality;however,the effective collection of thermal energy is a major hurdle.Thermoelectric(TE)conversion technology based on the Seebeck effect and thermal energy storage technology based on phase change materials(PCMs)represent smart,feasible,and research-worthy approaches to overcome this hurdle.However,the integration of multiple thermal energy sources freely existing in the environment for storage and output of thermal and electrical energy simultaneously still remains a huge challenge.Herein,three-dimensional(3D)nanostructured metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)are in situ nucleated and grown onto carbon nanotubes(CNTs)via coordination bonding.After calcination,the prepared core-shell structural CNTs@MOFs are transformed into tightened 1D/3D carbon heterostructure loading Co nanoparticles for efficient solar-thermoelectric energy harvesting.Surprisingly,the corresponding composite PCMs show a record-breaking solar-thermal conversion efficiency of 98.1%due to the tightened carbon heterostructure and the local surface plasmon resonance effect of Co nanoparticles.Moreover,our designed all-in-one composite PCMs are also capable of creating an electrical potential of 0.5 mV based on the Seebeck effect without a TE generator.This promising approach can store thermal and electrical energy simultaneously,providing a new direction in the design of advanced all-in-one multifunctional PCMs for thermal energy storage and utilization.

Stabilized multifunctional phase change materials based on carbonized Cu-coated melamine foam/reduced graphene oxide framework for multiple energy conversion and storage

The leakage of organic phase change materials(OPCMs)at temperatures above their melting point severely limits their large-scale application.The introduction of porous supports has been identified as an efficient leakageproofing method.In this study,a novel carbonized Cu-coated melamine foam(MF)/reduced graphene oxide(rGO)framework(MF/rGO/Cu-C)is constructed as a support for fabricating stabilized multifunctional OPCMs.MF serves as the supporting material,while rGO and Cu act as functional reinforcements.As a thermal energy storage material,polyethylene glycol(PEG)is encapsulated into MF/rGO/Cu-C through a vacuum-assisted impregnation method to obtain PEG@MF/rGO/Cu-C composite with excellent comprehensive performance.PEG@MF/rGO/Cu-C exhibits high phase change enthalpies of 148.3 J g^(-1)(melting)and 143.9 J g^(-1)(crystallization),corresponding to a high energy storage capability of 92.7%.Simultaneously,MF/rGO/Cu-C endues the composite with an enhanced thermal conductivity of 0.4621Wm^(-1) K^(-1),which increases by 463%compared to that of PEG@MF.Furthermore,PEG@MF/rGO/Cu-C displays great light-to-thermal and electric-to-thermal conversion capabilities,thermal cycle stability,light-tothermal cycle stability,and shape stability,showing promising application prospects in different aspects.

Optimum Distribution of Two Different Phase Change Materials between Various Components of Roof Air-Conditioned Room, Suitable to Reduce Annual Energy Consumption

Obviously, the outside annual climate change caused either by a major solar input during the hottest period or by a temperature drop during the coldest period leads to discomfort in inside buildings. This effect can be reduced by storing heat transmitted in phase change materials (PCM) as latent heat, in order to ensure a good situation of thermal comfort during all months of the year. In this work, thermal behavior of two roofing systems is studied. One roof is constituted only by usual materials in building. In the other, two phase change materials (PCM) are introduced according to three configurations. Study is interested to assess incorporation effect of two PCMs within the roof and to evaluate the optimum locations to reduce the energy consumption of air-conditioned room. Mono-dimensional numerical model validated analytically and experimentally, is used to carry out a parametric analyzes to determine characteristics of the layers in which the roofs are formed regardless of external climate effect. Numerical calculations are performed for three configurations of roof. Results show that insertion of phase change materials in roof provides best energy consumption saving regardless annual climate change. Generally, the three configurations lead to different results, depending on the combination of PCMs. This difference becomes less important when selection of PCMs take account the thermal comfort level and temperatures of hottest and coldest periods.