preparation of paraffin/cnt/pp aerogel composite as a new phase change material

Using phase change materials (pcms) is one of the best solutions for saving energy. however, some problems such as leakage and volume change causes limit the use of pcms. in this study we reported the fabrication of available commercial grade polypropylene (pp) aerogel by freeze-dry method and use it as pcm container. : the paraffin and carbon nano tube were infiltrated into pp aerogel. measurements showed that pp aerogel was able to uptake pcm material, approximately five times of its pure weight. ftir and fe-sem analysis confirmed the complete impregnation of paraffin and cnt into pp aerogel and finally dsc analysis showed the great enthalpy of the system than the pure paraffin, that was 114/3 j/g. thermal conductivity measurement showed the great enhancement of paraffin thermal conduction by use of cnt within the pp aerogel.