Fabrication and characterization of novel meso-porous carbon/n-octadecane as form-stable phase change materials for enhancement of phase-change behavior

In this study, series of novel composite phase change materials (PCMs) were prepared through vacuum impregnation by using meso-porous carbon as a supporting matrix and n-octadcane as PCMs. The meso-porous carbon material was prepared through one-pot co-assembly method, using resorcinol and formaldehyde as carbon precursor, tetraethoxysilane as silica sources and triblock copolymer F127 as a template. And the phase behaviors of n-octadcane confined in the nano-porous structure of the meso-porous carbon were further investigated. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy spectra show that n-octadecane was effectively encapsulated in the porous structure of mesoporous carbon and the composite PCMs were successfully prepared. Differential scanning calorimetry results confirm that the composite PCMs possess a good phase change behavior, fast thermal-response rate and excellent thermal cycling stability. In addition, the composite PCMs possess expected heat storage and heat release properties. All these results demonstrate that the composite PCMs possess good comprehensive property so that they can be used widely in energy storage systems.