A.A. Bankole, A. Mali, S. Obare, L. Zhang
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University,
United States
Keywords: nanofiber architecture, phase change material, thermal energy storage, temperature regulation
Summary:
Phase change materials (PCMs) offer a promising route for thermal energy storage due to their ability to absorb and release latent heat during phase transitions. In this study, a eutectic mixture of capric acid (CA) and palmitic acid (PA) was synthesized and encapsulated within electrospun nanofiber matrices to address leakage issues and enhance thermal performance. Six nanofiber architectures—electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers (ESPAN), electrospun carbon nanofibers from ESPAN (ECNFs), porous electrospun PAN nanofibers (PESPAN), porous electrospun carbon nanofibers from PESPAN (PECNFs), hollow electrospun PAN nanofibers (HESPAN), and hollow electrospun carbon nanofibers from HESPAN (HECNFs)—were fabricated and evaluated as host materials. The morphology, functional groups, thermal stability, and thermal behavior of the nanofibrous composite PCMs were characterized using SEM, FTIR, TGA, and DSC. The kinetics of thermal response was further monitored and studied via thermocouple data logging. Our results revealed that while non-carbon nanofibers exhibited higher PCM absorption, carbon-based nanofibers significantly improved thermal conductivity and response rates. Among all structures, porous nanofibers demonstrated the highest loading capacity and outperformed both solid and hollow counterparts. These findings highlight the potential of tailored nanofiber architectures, particularly carbon-based variants, for advanced temperature regulation applications.