Tetrapods based engineering of organic phase change material for thermal energy storage

Phase change materials (PCM) are largely assessed on their ability towards energy storage and their enthalpy efficiency of discharging the stored energy. Nevertheless, their applications are limited by the low thermal conductivity behaviour, despite their tunable transition temperature abilities. The present work demonstrates a novel concept to develop and explore PCM composite by embedding two unique zinc oxide tetrapod classes to engineer the heat transfer mechanism for potential utilization in thermal energy storage. Tetrapods embedded phase change material (TPCM) composite displayed up to 94% enhancement in thermal conductivity without compromising melting enthalpy. TPCM composite with high thermal conductivity, high heat capacity, broad photo-absorptivity, improved stability in isothermal conditions, and long thermal cycles offer attractive solutions for effective thermal energy storage, efficient solar energy harnessing, and thermal management. With demon-strated abilities, the developed TPCM composite material could play a significant role in the progress of renewable energy needs in future.