Prediction of thermo-physical properties and evaluation of thermal energy storage performance of phase change materials based on silicone rubber/graphite (Q/G) composites

Phase change composite materials (PCCMs) are a type of thermal energy storage system known for their high latent heat of fusion. In this study, PCCM samples based on peroxide-cured silicone rubber (Q) were prepared using a simple soaking procedure in molten Paraffin Wax (PW). At any fixed amount of peroxide, the rubber base samples were filled with varying amounts of graphite powder (G), 4 to 8 Wt.%, to improve the thermo-physical properties. The effect of peroxide and graphite content was then evaluated on the PW loading, PW leakage, and thermal storage performance of the resulting Q/G/PW composites. It was found that the highest ratio of the PW loading to PW leakage occurs at a peroxide content of 6 Wt.%. Moreover, the graphite particles demonstrate a significant role in PW trapping inside the rubber structure and lowering the PW leakage. Finally, the thermal studies showed that the Q/G/PW composite containing 6 wt.% of peroxide and 4 wt.% of graphite has the highest latent heat of 111.5 J/g with a PW loading of 15.2%. This sample also had the lowest thermal diffusivity and the slowest cooling and heating rate.