Introduction of Phase Change Material into Sustainable Carbon Materials for Enhanced Shape Stability and Thermal Conductivity

New sustainable carbon materials were synthesized from a low-price and eco-friendly carrotviahydrothermal reaction and carbonization approach. Afterwards, palmitic acid (PA) was impregnated into the carrot-derived carbon material (CCM) to prepare PA@CCM composites through vacuum impregnation method. The thermal properties and shape stability of PA@CCM composites were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal conductivity and thermal cycling tests. Owing to the special hybrid microstructure of the CCMs, the loading ratio of PA in PA@CCM composites could reach up to 85.3 % with the latent heat of 166.4 J g(-1). More importantly, the PA@CCM composites show negligible leakage above the melting point of PA, exhibiting excellent shape stability. Compared with pristine PA, the thermal conductivity of PA@CCM composites could greatly enhanced by 145.5 %. Thus, PA@CCM composites can be considered as a promising candidate for thermal energy storage applications.