Synergistic Impact Investigation of 1D/2D Hybrid Nanoparticles on Lauric Acid Phase Change Material for Thermoelectric Generator and Heat Sink Cooling Application

Phase change materials (PCMs) exhibit exceptional heat storage capabilities, demonstrating a nearly constant phase transition temperature. However, their heat transfer ability is relatively low. In this study, hybrid nanoparticles - specifically, one-dimensional (1D) hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and two-dimensional (2D) multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) - are added into lauric acid PCM. The primary goal of incorporating these hybrid nanoparticles in lauric acid PCM is to enhance its thermal conductivity and assess its thermo-physical characteristics. Hybrid nanoparticles were integrated into PCM in a range of 0.2 wt% to 1.0 wt% to create hybrid nanoparticle-based composites using a two-step approach. The results indicate that the nanocomposite (LBM-0.8), containing 0.8 wt% of hybrid nanoparticle, exhibited highest 52% enhancement in thermal conductivity. The latent heat evaluation confirmed a 7% increment in latent heat, reaching 241 Jg(-1) compared to the base PCM's 225 Jg(-1). Additionally, photo-transmissibility showed a 12.4% for LBM-0.8 nanocomposite compared to 76% for the base PCM. Further, all prepared nanocomposites remained chemically stable and exhibited slightly enhanced thermal degradation. Furthermore, after 500 charge-discharge cycles, the nanocomposite LBM-0.8 demonstrated chemical and thermal stability, with a latent heat decrement of less than 10%. Lastly, nano-enhanced PCM displayed higher thermal performance when used in thermoelectric generator and heat sink cooling applications. As a result, the development of 1D/2D hybrid nano-enhanced lauric acid PCM has the potential to be used in medium-range energy storage applications.