Liu Liu, Niu Jianlei, Wu Jian-Yong
Department of Applied Biology & Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Materials (Basel). 2021 Dec 24;15(1):121. doi: 10.3390/ma15010121.
Thermal energy storage (TES) is an important means for the conservation and efficient utilization of excessive and renewable energy. With a much higher thermal storage capacity, latent heat storage (LHS) may be more efficient than sensible heat storage. Phase change materials (PCMs) are the essential storage media for LHS. PCM emulsions have been developed for LHS in flow systems, which act as both heat transfer and thermal storage media with enhanced heat transfer, low pumping power, and high thermal storage capacity. However, two major barriers to the application of PCM emulsions are their instability and high degree of supercooling. To overcome these, various strategies have been attempted, such as the reduction of emulsion droplet size, addition of nucleating agents, and optimization of the formulation. To the best of our knowledge, however, there is still a lack of review articles on fabrication methods for PCM emulsions or their latest applications. This review was to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive summary on the effective strategies and the underlying mechanisms for the preparation of stable PCM emulsions and reduction of supercooling, especially with the organic PCMs of paraffin. It was also to share our insightful perspectives on further development and potential applications of PCM emulsions for efficient energy storage.
热能存储（TES）是储存和高效利用过剩能源及可再生能源的重要手段。潜热存储（LHS）具有更高的蓄热能力，可能比显热存储更高效。相变材料（PCM）是LHS的关键存储介质。PCM乳液已被开发用于流动系统中的LHS，它兼具传热和蓄热介质的功能，具有强化传热、低泵送功率和高蓄热能力。然而，PCM乳液应用的两个主要障碍是其不稳定性和高度过冷。为克服这些问题，人们尝试了各种策略，如减小乳液滴尺寸、添加成核剂和优化配方。然而，据我们所知，目前仍缺乏关于PCM乳液制备方法或其最新应用的综述文章。本综述旨在对制备稳定PCM乳液和降低过冷度的有效策略及潜在机制提供最新的全面总结，尤其是针对石蜡等有机PCM。它还旨在分享我们对PCM乳液在高效储能方面进一步发展和潜在应用的深刻见解。
