ABSTRACT
A wide range of nanocomposite phase change materials (PCMs) have been explored as solid-solid PCMs. The varieties of materials presented have highly porous nature which can accommodate high percentage of PCM, high thermal energy storage density without liquid leakage and high thermal conductivity. This chapter explores a wide array of nanomaterials used in conjugation with organic PCMs. Three major categories of nanomaterials include metallic, carbon-based and graphene-based nanomaterials. The use of nanomaterials enhances the thermal conductivity but on the other hand, it leads to significant decline of thermal energy storage efficiency. Among the various materials explored, graphene foam and single-walled carbon nanotubes offers huge enhancement of thermal conductivity resulting in the preparation of smart PCMs with efficient photo to thermal conversion without sacrificing the thermal energy storage capacity. Phase change can be in the form of solid-liquid, solid-solid, liquid-gas and solid-gas.
