SEBS-based composite phase change material with thermal shape memory for thermal management applications

Abstract The employ of phase change materials (PCMs) provides a potential selection for thermal energy storage (TES) and thermal management (TM). The main reasons hinder the application are the low thermal conductivity, leakage and strong rigidity of PCMs. In this paper, a thermal shape memory composite phase change material composed of triblock copolymer (SEBS), paraffin (PA) and expanded graphite (EG) is prepared. The composite phase change materials are characterized by SEM, FTIR, DSC and TGA. The shape stability and thermal shape memory mechanism are studied in detail through rheological analysis. The results show that the prepared composite exhibit superior shape stability and thermal stability. Furthermore, the existence of SEBS can effectively suppress the effect of natural convection and improve the thermal stratification of the composite along the direction of gravity, and the composite material exhibited excellent thermal shape memory property. In addition, the existence of EG can enhance the heat transfer performance of the composite material.