Fundamental studies and emerging applications of phase change materials for cold storage in China

Cold storage conception and technology attracts extensively interests recent years due to growingly global energy demands and increasingly international carbon emissions. China, as rapidly economic growth of social development and strongly policy support of carbon reduction, leads many researches in fundamental science and advanced engineering based on phase change material application. Therefore, this study introduces the basic concept and classification of phase change materials for cold storage. Some innovative materials proposed in China, such as clathrate hydrate and compound nanomaterial, are compared for various cold storage effects. This study also reviews the application status in different fields, including Freshness preservation, mine cooling, short-term power optimization, and long-term energy utilization. The cutting-edge researches and the state-of-art technologies in China are briefly discussed. At last, the developed history and the future direction of cold storage air conditioning have been presented. Extensively national policy allows China to fulfil its role as a major power in the promotion of cold storage technology.