Research progress of phase change materials and their application systems for cool storage

Phase change cold storage technology uses the heat absorption or release of phase change materials to store and apply energy, which plays a role in the precise control of temperature, the reduction of energy consumption and the energy load transfer. In this paper, the phase change materials with a phase change temperature below 25℃ for different application scenarios were summarized. The applications of phase-change cold storage materials, such as the food and medical cold chain logistics, the building air-conditioning, the data center emergency cooling, and the phase-change textiles for human thermal management and medical care were introduced. The thermal properties of phase change materials and the advantages and disadvantages for various applications were discussed. It was pointed out that the poor heat transfer performance of ordinary materials can be improved by enhancing the thermal conductivity and heat transfer structure of the phase change cold storage system. Moreover, the research prospects of phase change thermal storage technology, from the preparation of composite phase change materials to the system design optimization and application expansion, were proposed. © 2023 Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.