1,12-dodecanediol among similar fatty alcohols as a phase change material for thermal energy storage

• Fatty alcohols have high energy storage capacity, low degrees of supercooling, and natural availability in addition to low cost. • Compared to the commonly used mono fatty alcohol phase change materials, diols have higher working temperatures and storage capacity. • The thermal conductivity of phase change materials, whose thermal properties are determined with the differential scanning calorimeter instrument, can be increased by adding thermal conductivity materials. The majority of research conducted on phase change materials (PCMs) is focused on applicable temperature-based materials. In general, the market offers a limited range of viable alternatives for a number of specific applications. In this study, the 1,12-dodecanediol compound was evaluated as a PCM in its original ambient storage atmosphere. The physicochemical properties of a PCM ultimately determine the conditions under which it can be employed in a given application. Many of these properties, including phase change temperatures, enthalpies, specific heat, and temperature-time relationships, are determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) instruments. In summary, the phase change temperature and enthalpies of 1,12-dodecanediol were found to be 80–76 °C and 238–237 J g⁻¹, respectively, for heating/cooling. Moreover, TGA is used to ascertain the maximum temperature that a common PCM is capable of withstanding. The first degradation temperature of 1,12-dodecanediol (220 °C) was considerable as compared to other organic PCMs. Further thermal analysis of a new PCM may involve thermal conductivity and its potential to increase using conventional additives. The investigation was conducted on 1,12-dodecanediol across the aforementioned aspects. The surface morphology of both the 1,12-dodecanediol and 1,12-dodecanediol/expanded graphite (EG) composites was examined below the phase change temperature using a polarized optical microscope (POM) to reveal surface morphology of 1,12-dodecanediol as the crystalline organic material.