Issue 10, 2014

Optimized production of copper nanostructures with high yields for efficient use as thermal conductivity-enhancing PCM dopant

Abstract

Copper nanostructures with a high yield are synthesized by a controlled disproportionation of CuCl in oleylamine reaction medium without the involvement of strong reducing agents adopted in conventional approaches. The highest copper yield (50%), a maximum theoretical value, is obtained by optimizing both the initial amount of CuCl added to the reaction medium and the reaction temperature. A potential use of the copper nanostructures in greatly enhancing thermal conductivity of a hydrated CaCl2ยท6H2O salt phase change material (PCM) is further demonstrated. A high thermal conductivity enhancement of the PCM (>50%) is achieved by doping a small amount (<0.2 wt%) of the copper nanostructures. The great enhancement with the use of a very small amount of the copper nanostructures makes the doping cost-effective for practical thermal energy storage applications.

Graphical abstract: Optimized production of copper nanostructures with high yields for efficient use as thermal conductivity-enhancing PCM dopant

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
06 Nov 2013
Accepted
06 Dec 2013
First published
09 Dec 2013

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014,2, 3417-3423

Optimized production of copper nanostructures with high yields for efficient use as thermal conductivity-enhancing PCM dopant

T. Sreethawong, K. W. Shah, S. Zhang, E. Ye, S. H. Lim, U. Maheswaran, W. Y. Mao and M. Han, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014, 2, 3417 DOI: 10.1039/C3TA14550F

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