Preparation and performances of bulk porous Al foams impregnated with phase-change-materials for thermal storage

Shape-stabilized phase change materials (PCMs) exhibit desirable thermal storage properties and are used for energy conservation systems. This study is focused on the preparation and thermal-/dynamic-mechanical properties of the bulk porous Al foams impregnated with organic PCMs such as paraffins and stearic acid. The results indicated that the new shape-stabilized PCMs composites could be produced by a simple and eco-friendly constant-pressure impregnation method. The filling fraction of PCMs was approximately more than 80% for the impregnated samples with vacuuming or without vacuuming. The shape-stabilized PCMs/Al-foam composites exhibited considerable latent thermal storage potential for good interface, desirable phase-change temperature range and latent heat values (72.9 kJ/kg for the paraffin/Al-foam composite and 66.7 kJ/kg for the stearic acid/Al-foam composite). Moreover, the impregnation of PCMs improved the dynamic-compression yield strength, durability and resistance to oxidation of Al foams and made its ideal energy-saving materials.