Enhanced Thermal Performance of Composite Phase Change Materials Based on Hybrid Graphene Aerogels for Thermal Energy Storage

Thermal conductivity and latent heat are crucial performance parameters for phase change materials (PCMs) in thermal energy storage. To enhance the thermal performance of PCMs, with the help of graphene oxide (GO) acting as a dispersing agent, well-defined hybrid graphene aerogels (HGAs) with a three-dimensional (3D) porous structure were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal reaction of GO and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs). GNPs, dispersing uniformly along the interconnecting graphene network, acted as thermal conductive fillers and supporting materials. Palmitic acid (PA) was impregnated into the HGA by vacuum forces. It was found that the thermal conductivity of the PA/HGA was enhanced without compromising heat storage capacity. Compared with PA, the PA/HGA with 4.2 wt% GNPs exhibited enhanced thermal conductivity of 2.1 W/mK and high latent heat of 206.2 J/g simultaneously. The PA/HGA with good thermal performance has potential applications in thermal energy storage.