A solar-thermal energy harvesting scheme: enhanced heat capacity of molten HITEC salt mixed with Sn/SiOx core-shell nanoparticles

We demonstrated enhanced solar-thermal storage by releasing the latent heat of Sn/SiOx core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in a eutectic salt. The microstructures and chemical compositions of Sn/SiOx core-shell NPs were characterized. In situ heating XRD provides dynamic crystalline information about the Sn/SiOx core-shell NPs during cyclic heating processes. The latent heat of similar to 29 J g(-1) for Sn/SiOx core-shell NPs was measured, and 30% enhanced heat capacity was achieved from 1.57 to 2.03 J g (1) K (1) for the HITEC solar salt without and with, respectively, a mixture of 5% Sn/SiOx core-shell NPs. In addition, an endurance cycle test was performed to prove a stable operation in practical applications. The approach provides a method to enhance energy storage in solar-thermal power plants.