Thermal properties of 1-hexadecanol/high density polyethylene/graphene nanoplates composites as form-stable heat storage materials

Composite phase change materials (CPCM) composed of 1-hexadecanol (HD), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and graphene nanoplates (GNP) were synthesized in this work. HD served as phase change material, while HDPE acted as support frame. GNP was introduced to improve thermal conductivity. A number of tests were conducted to acquire physical performances of the CPCM. The chemical components of the materials were obtained from Fourier transformation infrared spectroscope (FT-IR). The crystal structure was illustrated by X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The microcosmic pattern was observed form scanning electronic microscope (SEM). Phase transition characters were analyzed from the data of differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Thermal stability was shown by thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). Thermal conductivity of CPCM3 was 1.86 times of HD/HDPE composites (PCM2). The GNP significantly enhanced the thermal conductivity. The latent heat and chemical structure were stable after the thermal cycling experiment. Hence, the CPCM3 is a reliable material in heat storage applications.