Emerging phase change materials with improved thermal efficiency for a clean and sustainable environment: An approach towards net zero

Technologies based on renewable energy sources are urgently needed to address the supply versus demand energy imbalance caused by the ever-increasing energy consumption and the consequent diminution of fossil fuel supplies. In recent years, the phase change energy storage technique has prompted a lot of attention to address the conflict between thermal energy supply and demand to mitigate the energy shortage issues. Phase change materials (PCMs) have been extensively applied in thermal energy storage due to their excellent energy output stability and high energy storage capability at a constant temperature. However, most PCMs have the limitation of poor thermal conductivity, which negatively affects their thermal performance during their energy storage application. The strategies such as encapsulation have been given importance to improve the thermal conductivity, supercooling, phase segregation, and leakage problem of PCMs. This review aims to summarize the current state and progress on production technologies for PCMs with improved thermal efficiency for a clean and sustainable environment. The recent initiatives to produce emerging PCMs and thermal energy storage implementations emphasizing net zero emission goals are critically discussed. The various strategies for the way forward are presented to explore and better utilize PCM-based technologies.