Organic Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage: Influence of Molecular Structure on Properties

Materials that change phase (e.g., via melting) can store thermal energy with energy densities comparable to batteries. Phase change materials will play an increasing role in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, by scavenging thermal energy for later use. Therefore, it is useful to have summaries of phase change properties over a wide range of materials. In the present work, we review the relationship between molecular structure and trends in relevant phase change properties (melting temperature, and gravimetric enthalpy of fusion) for about 200 organic compounds from several chemical families, namely alkanes (paraffins), fatty acids, fatty alcohols, esters, diamines, dinitriles, diols, dioic acids, and diamides. We also review availability and cost, chemical compatibility, and thermal and chemical stabilities, to provide practical information for PCM selection. Compounds with even chain alkyl lengths generally give higher melting temperatures, store more thermal energy per unit mass due to more efficient packing, and are of lower cost than the comparable compounds with odd alkyl chains.