Thermal Conductivity Enhancement of Doped Magnesium Hydroxide for Medium-Temperature Heat Storage: A Molecular Dynamics Approach and Experimental Validation
Magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)<sub>2</sub>, is recognized as a promising material for medium-temperature heat storage, but its low thermal conductivity limits its full potential application. In this study, thermal enhancement of a developed magnesium hydroxide-potassium nitrate (Mg(OH)<sub>2</sub>-KNO<sub>3</sub>) material was carried out with aluminum oxide (Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) nanomaterials. The theoretical results obtained through a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation approach showed an enhancement of about 12.9% in thermal conductivity with an optimal 15 wt% of Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>. There was also close agreement with the experimental results within an error of ≤10%, thus confirming the reliability of the theoretical approach and the potential of the developed Mg(OH)<sub>2</sub>-KNO<sub>3</sub> as a medium heat storage material. Further investigation is, however, encouraged to establish the long-term recyclability of the material towards achieving a more efficient energy storage process.
Authors
- Mark Worall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6638-8456)
- Anti Kur (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2868-4817)
- John Kaiser Calautit
- Rabah Boukhanouf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5460-2715)
- Jo Darkwa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8648-0356)
Institutions
- University of Nottingham (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Published
- 2024-10-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252011139
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Adsorption and Cooling Systems
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.85
Funders
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council