Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) hold great promise as an alternative for direct biochemical energy extraction from both biomass and wastewater. However, the commercialization and scaling-up of MFCs is not completely feasible, due to the high price of platinum (Pt) as a cathode catalyst. In this...

The work reported in this paper shows the experimental results from a study on diathermic oil based nanofluids. Diathermic oil finds application in renewable energy, cogeneration and cooling systems. For example, it is used in solar thermodynamic or biomass plants, where high efficiency, compact...

A sort of new phase change material (PCM) microcapsules based on n-octadecane core and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) shell was synthesized through a self-assembly method to enhance the thermal conductivity and serving durability. Fourier transform infrared spectra confirmed that the CaCO3 wall...

Exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnP) were applied to enhance the thermal conductivity of polyaniline (PANI) based form-stable phase change materials (PCMs). The xGnP was first dispersed in palmitic acid (PA) uniformly under the assistance of ultra-sonication. The xGnP/PA mixture was then...

Nano-graphite (NG)/paraffin composites were prepared as composite phase change materials. NG has the function of improving the thermal conductivity of the composite. The microstructure and thermal properties of the materials were examined with environmental scanning electron microscopy and...

If buildings can change “clothes” according to seasons like human being, the energy consumption for their space heating or cooling will be saved greatly. For this purpose, the thermophysical properties of building external wall should be self-adjusted according to outdoor temperature. In...

A LiNO3/KCl-expanded graphite (EG) composite phase change material (PCM) was prepared for solar thermal energy storage application at high temperature (∼200°C). In such composite material, eutectic system LiNO3/KCl is characterized by high phase change latent heat and EG serves as the heat...

Carbon paper is commonly used as the gas diffusion layer (GDL) in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells as it exhibits high chemical and mechanical durability. This diffusion medium is also anisotropic, which directly affects its transport properties and specifically the thermal...

In many studies, carbon nanoparticles with high values of thermal conductivity (10–3000W/mK) have been embedded into phase change thermal energy storage materials (PCMs) in order to enhance their bulk thermal properties. While a great deal of work to date has focused on determining the effect...

A sort of new microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCM) based on paraffin wax core and poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methyl acrylate) shell with nano alumina (nano-Al2O3) inlay was synthesized through emulsion polymerization. Various techniques were used to characterize the as-prepared...