Enhanced thermal performance of 3D hybrid graphene aerogel encapsulating paraffin for battery thermal management

This study aims to develop a hybrid graphene aerogel (HGA) designed to simultaneously enhance the thermal conductivity and latent heat of composite phase change materials upon their encapsulation. We developed a three-dimensional porous structure for HGA, which combined graphene nanoplatelets with reduced graphene oxide. This structure was fabricated using a directional freeze-drying technique, which aimed to improve the structural integrity and heat transfer capability of HGA. Paraffin wax (PW) was subsequently incorporated into the HGA using the vacuum infusion method. The results showed that the rich porosity of HGA effectively allowed it to load a large amount of PW, exceeding 95 wt%. The supercooling degree of PW/HGA decreased by 9.37%. Both the melting and freezing enthalpies of PW/HGA exceeded theoretical predictions. Meanwhile, thermal conductivity assessment and infrared imaging demonstrated that PW/HGA facilitated more rapid heat dispersion compared to PW alone. In battery thermal management applications, PW/HGA effectively minimized the peak temperature and improved temperature uniformity. This study demonstrates the significant potential of aerogelbased composite PCMs in enhancing the thermal management of battery systems.