Phase Change Material Nanoemulsions: Liquid to Gel Transition

Thermal energy storage has the potential for energy-saving and environmental pollution reduction.Technologies based on phase change materials (PCMs) absorb latent heat during melting and releaseit during solidification. In this sense, phase change material nanoemulsions have emerged as apromising option that creates a higher heat transfer rate due to the large surface-to-volume ratio ofthe dispersed phase on very small scales offering better energy storage density. In the present study,novel PCM nanoemulsions were designed and characterized as possible storage and heat transfermedia for thermal applications. This study focuses on producing nanoemulsions with fine droplets ofcommercial paraffin RT۲۴, stabilized with SDS using the sonication method. The primary objectiveof this research is to investigate the impact of PCM volume fraction and droplet size, on therheological characterization of the final nanoemulsions. Rheological investigations revealed thatnanoemulsions with volume fractions ≥%۰۳ transformed from liquid-like states to viscoelastic gelsdue to the depletion attractions caused by SDS micelles in the continuous phase, resulting in stronggel formation. Furthermore, the gelation mechanism was evaluated at various PCM volume fractions.

کلیدواژه ها:

Nanoemulsion ، Viscoelastic gel ، Thermal energy storage ، Phase change material ، Stability