Stability Investigation of the PCM Nanocomposites

Ensuring the stability is a key issue to be solved for the technical application of nanocomposites. In this work, fatty acid P1801 served as base phase change material (PCM)P1801, and its main ingredients are palmitic acid (58%) and stearic acid (38%). Titania (TiO2) and alumina (Al2O3) with mass concentrations of 1% and 5% were selected as nanoparticles, while polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) or oleic acid (OA) with mass concentrations of 5% were tested as surfactants. On the basis of the measured temperature distributions in the sample, which is subject to melting and solidification processes, it was determined which of the tested nanocomposites are stable and which are not. In addition, a thermal test was proposed to assess the stability of the produced nanoPCM, which consists in measuring the temperature distribution versus time according to a precisely given procedure.