Analyzing Thermal Characteristics of a Salt-based Phase Change Material with the Addition of Nanoparticles

The effective storage of thermal energy is essential for the progress of green energy systems.Sodium acetate trihydrate (SATH), a potential inorganic phase change material (PCM), is frequently constrained by its inadequate thermal conductivity and significant supercooling tendency.This work integrated nano-ZnO particles into SATH at different mass fractions (0-2.0%) to create nano-enhanced phase change materials (nano-PCMs) with increased thermal properties.The nano-ZnO/SATH phase change materials (PCMs) were analysed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and thermal conductivity testing.The findings indicated that incorporating 1.0% mass of nano-ZnO significantly decreased supercooling from 35C to 1.48C and attained the maximum latent heat value (239.7 kJ/kg) across all tested nano-PCMs.Thermal conductivity demonstrated a steady increase with nanoparticle concentration, achieving a maximum boost of 27.96% at a 2.0% mass fraction.Increased nanoparticle dosage above 1.0%resulted in reduced latent heat capacity due to clustering phenomena.This study illustrates that optimised nano-ZnO incorporation may significantly boost the efficacy of salt-based phase change materials, with prospective applications in thermal energy storage systems necessitating improved heat transmission and thermal dependability.