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Pyrazolium Phase-Change Materials for Solar-Thermal Energy Storage
Karolina Matuszek1, R Vijayaraghavan1, Craig M Forsyth1
1School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
Chemsuschem
|October 29, 2019
Summary
Novel pyrazolium-based phase-change materials (PCMs) offer safe, inexpensive thermal energy storage in the 100-200°C range. Pyrazolium mesylate demonstrates excellent thermal stability and cycling performance for renewable energy applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Renewable energy sources suffer from intermittency, necessitating effective energy storage solutions.
- Phase-change materials (PCMs) are crucial for thermal energy storage (TES) applications.
- Developing PCMs that operate within specific temperature ranges and offer high energy density is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new family of pyrazolium-based PCMs for thermal energy storage.
- To evaluate the performance of these PCMs in the 100-200°C temperature range.
- To investigate the molecular structure-property relationships governing their thermal energy storage capacity.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and characterization of novel pyrazolium-based PCMs.
- Thermal stability and extensive cycling tests were performed on promising candidates.
- Analysis of crystal structures to understand the molecular origins of energy storage capacity.
Main Results:
- A novel family of pyrazolium-based PCMs operating between 100-200°C was developed.
- Pyrazolium mesylate exhibited a melting point of 168±1°C with high latent heat (160 J/g) and volumetric energy storage (495 MJ/m³).
- The materials demonstrated good thermal stability and low supercooling, with hydrogen bonding identified as key to performance.
Conclusions:
- Pyrazolium-based PCMs are a promising, safe, and cost-effective solution for thermal energy storage.
- Pyrazolium mesylate shows significant potential for applications in renewable energy storage systems.
- Understanding the role of crystal structure and hydrogen bonding can guide the design of advanced PCMs.
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