Thermal properties of sonicated graphene in coconut oil as a phase change material for energy storage in building applications

This study aims to investigate the thermal properties of a phase change material (PCM) based on coconut oil for building energy storage applications. Coconut oil is classified as an organic PCM composed of fatty acids made from renewable feedstock. However, low thermal conductivity is one of the major drawbacks of organic PCMs that must be improved. Graphene could be an effective material to enhance the thermal performance of organic PCMs. In this study, coconut oil with a latent heat capacity of 114.6 J/g and a melting point of 17.38°C was used. PCMs were prepared by sonicating graphene into coconut oil, as a supporting material. The mass fractions of the prepared PCMs were 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5. Thermal conductivity tests were performed using a KD2 thermal property analyser under different ambient temperatures of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25°C simulated with a circulating thermostatic bath. The latent heat, melting point and freezing point were determined through differential scanning calorimetry, the thermal stability was determined using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the morphology and chemical structure were examined using transmission electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The results of this study showed that graphene addition to coconut oil improved the thermal performance, with the highest improvement seen in a 0.3 wt% sample at 20°C. The latent heat decreased by 11% owing to molecular movements within the PCM. However, TGA revealed that the composite PCMs showed good thermal stability in ambient building temperature ranges.