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Sample records for phase change properties

  1. Ultrafast characterization of phase-change material crystallization properties in the melt-quenched amorphous phase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeyasingh, Rakesh; Fong, Scott W; Lee, Jaeho; Li, Zijian; Chang, Kuo-Wei; Mantegazza, Davide; Asheghi, Mehdi; Goodson, Kenneth E; Wong, H-S Philip

    2014-06-11

    Phase change materials are widely considered for application in nonvolatile memories because of their ability to achieve phase transformation in the nanosecond time scale. However, the knowledge of fast crystallization dynamics in these materials is limited because of the lack of fast and accurate temperature control methods. In this work, we have developed an experimental methodology that enables ultrafast characterization of phase-change dynamics on a more technologically relevant melt-quenched amorphous phase using practical device structures. We have extracted the crystallization growth velocity (U) in a functional capped phase change memory (PCM) device over 8 orders of magnitude (10(-10) 10(8) K/s), which reveals the extreme fragility of Ge2Sb2Te5 in its supercooled liquid phase. Furthermore, these crystallization properties were studied as a function of device programming cycles, and the results show degradation in the cell retention properties due to elemental segregation. The above experiments are enabled by the use of an on-chip fast heater and thermometer called as microthermal stage (MTS) integrated with a vertical phase change memory (PCM) cell. The temperature at the PCM layer can be controlled up to 600 K using MTS and with a thermal time constant of 800 ns, leading to heating rates ∼10(8) K/s that are close to the typical device operating conditions during PCM programming. The MTS allows us to independently control the electrical and thermal aspects of phase transformation (inseparable in a conventional PCM cell) and extract the temperature dependence of key material properties in real PCM devices.

  2. Characterization of thermal and hydrodynamic properties for microencapsulated phase change slurry (MPCS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Lin; Wang, Ting; Zhao, Yan; Zhang, Xin-Rong

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Microencapsulated phase change slurry (MPCS) is reviewed and characterized for heat transfer and storage systems. • Basic formation, materials, properties are categorized and systematically analyzed. • Generalization and modelization of complex MPCS properties are made. • MPCS is identified to be one promising substitute in future energy systems. • Future research topics and applications are also specified. - Abstract: Microencapsulated phase change slurry (MPCS) is a new kind of multi-phase fluid that are proposed and utilized in heat transfer and heat storage systems. Different from traditional organic (paraffin or non-parafin) or inorganic phase change slurries, MPCS is able to maintain both high latent heat capacity and heat transfer rate under controlled volume changes and safe operation conditions. Consequently, in recent decade, MPCS has been widely proposed and tested in textile, building, cooling and heating, solar and thermal storage systems, etc. Based on those recent findings and application developments, characterizations of thermal and hydrodynamic properties for MPCS are made in this study. The basic objective of this paper is to summarize the features of MPCS properties and the establishment of models for MPCS properties and morphologies. The review and analysis are based on recent representative experimental studies, which are categorized into: properties, heat transfer characteristics, stability and applications. Due to the various materials and methods and carry fluids properties, no single model can cover the properties for all MPCS. In this study, each property is reviewed with its specific model and application regions. Basic trends are compared with other kinds of phase change materials. Finally, by investigating those results the future trends of MPCS are presented

  3. Structural properties of the metastable state of phase change materials investigated by synchrotron radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Merkelbach, Philipp; Eijk, Julia van; Wuttig, Matthias [I. Phys. Institut (IA), RWTH Aachen, 52056 Aachen (Germany); Braun, Carolin [Institut fuer Anorg. Chemie, CAU Kiel, 24098 Kiel (Germany)

    2008-07-01

    Phase change alloys are among the most promising materials for novel data storage devices. Since several years Phase Change Materials based on Ge-Sb-Te- alloys have been used in optical data storage solutions like rewriteable CDs and DVDs. Recently these alloys have been explored as potential candidates for fast nonvolatile electrical data storage devices in Phase Change Random Access Memory (PCRAM). Besides attracting considerable interest from the commercial point of view phase change materials are very interesting also due to their remarkable physical properties. They have the ability to be reversibly switched within a few nanoseconds between the amorphous and the crystalline phase, while changing their physical properties such as optical reflectivity and electrical resistivity significantly. Even though the electronic properties show a drastical contrast such fast transitions can only be caused by small atomic rearrangements. This behavior calls for a deeper understanding of the structural properties of the alloys. We have performed powder diffraction measurements of the crystal phase of various GeSbTe alloys, to determine the structural similarities and differences of several alloys. Understanding the crystal structure of phase change materials is a key to a deeper insight into the properties of these promising materials.

  4. A review on thermophysical properties of nanoparticle dispersed phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kibria, M.A.; Anisur, M.R.; Mahfuz, M.H.; Saidur, R.; Metselaar, I.H.S.C.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Thermo physical properties of PCM could be enhanced by dispersing nanoparticles. • Surface/physical properties of nanoparticle could affect the thermal properties of PCM. • CNT and CNF showed better performance to enhance the thermal properties of PCM. • Some predictions in NePCM literature needs further investigations. - Abstract: A review of current experimental studies on variations in thermophysical properties of phase change material (PCM) due to dispersion of nanoparticles is presented in this article. Dispersed carbon nanotubes/fiber and different metal/metal oxide nano particles in paraffin and fatty acids might be a solution to improve latent heat thermal storage performance. Thermophysical properties such as thermal conductivity, latent heat, viscosity and super cooling of phase change materials (PCM) could be changed for different physical properties of dispersed nanoparticle such as size, shape, concentration and surface properties. Among the nano particles, comparatively carbon nanotubes and carbon nano fiber have shown better performance in enhancing the thermal properties of PCM for their unique properties. The present review will focus on the studies that describe how the surface, chemical and physical properties of nanoparticle could affect the thermal properties of PCM with the help of available explanations in the literature

  5. Thermal conductivity and phase-change properties of aqueous alumina nanofluid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teng, Tun-Ping

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► The alumina nanofluid with chitosan was produced by two-step synthesis method. ► The k and phase-change properties of alumina nanofluid were examined. ► Adding Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles into water indeed improves the k. ► Adding the chitosan decreases the thermal conductivity of alumina nanofluid. ► The T cp and h c are 53.4% and 97.8% of those in DW with the optimal combination. - Abstract: This study uses thermal conductivity and differential scanning calorimeter experiments to explore the thermal conductivity and phase-change properties of alumina (Al 2 O 3 )–water nanofluid produced using a two-step synthesis method. Deionized water (DW) is used as a control group, and the Al 2 O 3 –water nanofluid uses chitosan as a dispersant. Nanoparticle morphology and materials were confirmed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The results show that adding Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles to DW improves DW thermal conductivity, but adding chitosan reduces the thermal conductivity of Al 2 O 3 –water nanofluid. Adding the nanoparticles to DW affects the phase-change peak temperature and phase change heat. The optimal combination is 0.1 wt.% chitosan and 0.5 wt.% Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles; the charging phase-change peak temperature and latent heat are 53.4% and 97.8% of those in DW, respectively

  6. Phase-change materials: vibrational softening upon crystallization and its impact on thermal properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsunaga, Toshiyuki [Materials Science and Analysis Technology Centre, Panasonic Corporation, Osaka (Japan); Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute Hyogo (Japan); Yamada, Noboru [Digital and Network Technology Development Centre, Panasonic Corporation, Osaka (Japan); Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute Hyogo (Japan); Kojima, Rie [Digital and Network Technology Development Centre, Panasonic Corporation, Osaka (Japan); Shamoto, Shinichi [Neutron Science Research Centre, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Ibaraki (Japan); Sato, Masugu; Tanida, Hajime; Uruga, Tomoya; Kohara, Shinji [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, Hyogo (Japan); Takata, Masaki [SPring-8/RIKEN, Hyogo, Japan, Department of Advanced Materials Science, School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba (Japan); Zalden, Peter; Bruns, Gunnar; Wuttig, Matthias [I. Physikalisches Institut und JARA-FIT, RWTH Aachen Univ. (Germany); Sergueev, Ilya [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble (France); Wille, Hans Christian [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Hamburg (Germany); Hermann, Raphael Pierre [Juelich Centre for Neutron Science JCNS and Peter Gruenberg, Institut PGI, JARA-FIT, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH (Germany); Faculte des Sciences, Universite de Liege (Belgium)

    2011-06-21

    Crystallization of an amorphous solid is usually accompanied by a significant change of transport properties, such as an increase in thermal and electrical conductivity. This fact underlines the importance of crystalline order for the transport of charge and heat. Phase-change materials, however, reveal a remarkably low thermal conductivity in the crystalline state. The small change in this conductivity upon crystallization points to unique lattice properties. The present investigation reveals that the thermal properties of the amorphous and crystalline state of phase-change materials show remarkable differences such as higher thermal displacements and a more pronounced anharmonic behavior in the crystalline phase. These findings are related to the change of bonding upon crystallization, which leads to an increase of the sound velocity and a softening of the optical phonon modes at the same time. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  7. Phase change - memory materials - composition, structure, and properties

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Frumar, M.; Frumarová, Božena; Wágner, T.; Hrdlička, M.

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 18, suppl.1 (2007), S169-S174 ISSN 0957-4522. [International Conference on Optical and Optoelectronic Properties of Materials and Applications 2006. Darwin, 16.06.2006-20.06.2006] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA203/06/0627 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40500505 Keywords : phase change memory Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry Impact factor: 0.947, year: 2007

  8. Nanoscale phase-change materials and devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Qinghui; Wang, Yuxi; Zhu, Jia

    2017-01-01

    Phase-change materials (PCMs) that can reversibly transit between crystalline and amorphous phases have been widely used for data-storage and other functional devices. As PCMs scale down to nanoscale, the properties and transition procedures can vary, bringing both challenges and opportunities in scalability. This article describes the physical structures, properties and applications of nanoscale phase-change materials and devices. The limitations and performance of scaling properties in phase-change materials and the recent progress and challenges in phase-change devices are presented. At the end, some emerging applications related to phase-change materials are also introduced. (topical review)

  9. Nanoscale phase-change materials and devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Qinghui; Wang, Yuxi; Zhu, Jia

    2017-06-01

    Phase-change materials (PCMs) that can reversibly transit between crystalline and amorphous phases have been widely used for data-storage and other functional devices. As PCMs scale down to nanoscale, the properties and transition procedures can vary, bringing both challenges and opportunities in scalability. This article describes the physical structures, properties and applications of nanoscale phase-change materials and devices. The limitations and performance of scaling properties in phase-change materials and the recent progress and challenges in phase-change devices are presented. At the end, some emerging applications related to phase-change materials are also introduced.

  10. Preparation and thermal properties of short carbon fibers/erythritol phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Qiang; Luo, Zhiling; Guo, Qilin; Wu, Gaohui

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Short carbon fiber (SCF)/erythritol phase change composites (PCCs) are prepared and tested. • The PCCs possess large heat capacity and high thermal conductivity. • The size of SCFs can affect thermal conductivities of SCF/erythritol PCCs. • The size of SCFs has negligible effects on melting points and enthalpies. • The SCF/erythritol PCCs show good temperature-regulated property. - Abstract: The thermal properties of the short carbon fibers (SCFs) filled erythritol phase change composites (PCCs) were investigated experimentally. The samples were prepared with different mass loadings of two kinds of SCFs, 1%, 2%, 4%, 7% and 10%. The melting points and phase change enthalpies were measured by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The effects of SCFs on the melting points are relatively small but the enthalpies were reduced with the loadings of SCFs. The greatest loss of enthalpies is 11.3% for composites filled with 10% SCFs. The thermal conductivities increased with the loadings of SCFs but not linearly. The highest thermal conductivity is 3.92 W/(m⋅K) for the composites with 10% longer SCFs, which was enhanced by 407.8% compared to pure erythritol (0.77 W/(m⋅K)). Composites filled with longer SCFs possess higher thermal conductivity and the mechanisms were discussed. A simple setup was made to test the temperature-regulated property of these materials. These include pure erythritol and phase change composites with different loading of SCFs. The PCCs have shown good application potential and the longer SCFs can lead to the better performance of PCCs.

  11. Phase-change materials handbook

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hale, D. V.; Hoover, M. J.; Oneill, M. J.

    1972-01-01

    Handbook describes relationship between phase-change materials and more conventional thermal control techniques and discusses materials' space and terrestrial applications. Material properties of most promising phase-change materials and purposes and uses of metallic filler materials in phase-change material composites are provided.

  12. Thermodynamic nonequilibrium phase change behavior and thermal properties of biological solutions for cryobiology applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Bumsoo; Bischof, John C

    2004-04-01

    Understanding the phase change behavior of biomaterials during freezing/thawing including their thermal properties at low temperatures is essential to design and improve cryobiology applications such as cryopreservation and cryosurgery. However, knowledge of phase change behavior and thermal properties of various biomaterials is still incomplete, especially at cryogenic temperatures (solutions--either water-NaCl or phosphate buffered saline (PBS)--with various chemical additives were investigated. The chemical additives studied are glycerol and raffinose as CPAs, an AFP (Type III, molecular weight = 6500), and NaCl as a cryosurgical adjuvant. The phase change behavior was investigated using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and a cryomicroscope. The specific and latent heat of these solutions were also measured with the DSC. The saline solutions have two distinct phase changes--water/ice and eutectic phase changes. During freezing, eutectic solidification of both water-NaCl and PBS are significantly supercooled below their thermodynamic equilibrium eutectic temperatures. However, their melting temperatures are close to thermodynamic equilibrium during thawing. These eutectic phase changes disappear when even a small amount (0.1 M glycerol) of CPA was added, but they are still observed after the addition of an AFP. The specific heats of these solutions are close to that of ice at very low temperatures (< or = -100 degrees C) regardless of the additives, but they increase between -100 degrees C and -30 degrees C with the addition of CPAs. The amount of latent heat, which is evaluated with sample weight, generally decreases with the addition of the additives, but can be normalized to approximately 300 J/g based on the weight of water which participates in the phase change. This illustrates that thermal properties, especially latent heat, of a biomaterial should be evaluated based on the understanding of its phase change behavior. The results of the present

  13. Thermal property prediction and measurement of organic phase change materials in the liquid phase near the melting point

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O’Connor, William E.; Warzoha, Ronald; Weigand, Rebecca; Fleischer, Amy S.; Wemhoff, Aaron P.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Liquid-phase thermal properties for five phase change materials were estimated. • Various liquid phase and phase transition thermal properties were measured. • The thermal diffusivity was found using a best path to prediction approach. • The thermal diffusivity predictive method shows 15% agreement for organic PCMs. - Abstract: Organic phase change materials (PCMs) are a popular choice for many thermal energy storage applications including solar energy, building envelope thermal barriers, and passive cooling of portable electronics. Since the extent of phase change during a heating or cooling process is dependent upon rapid thermal penetration into the PCM, accurate knowledge of the thermal diffusivity of the PCM in both solid and liquid phases is crucial. This study addresses the existing gaps in information for liquid-phase PCM properties by examining an approach that determines the best path to prediction (BPP) for the thermal diffusivity of both alkanes and unsaturated acids. Knowledge of the BPP will enable researchers to explore the influence of PCM molecular structure on bulk thermophysical properties, thereby allowing the fabrication of optimized PCMs. The BPP method determines which of the tens of thousands of combinations of 22 different available theoretical techniques provides best agreement with thermal diffusivity values based on reported or measured density, heat capacity, and thermal conductivity for each of five PCMs (heneicosane, tricosane, tetracosane, oleic acid, and linoleic acid) in the liquid phase near the melting point. Separate BPPs were calibrated for alkanes based on heneicosane and tetracosane, and for the unsaturated acids. The alkane and unsaturated acid BPPs were then tested on a variety of similar materials, showing agreement with reported/measured thermal diffusivity within ∼15% for all materials. The alkane BPP was then applied to find that increasing the length of alkane chains decreases the PCM thermal

  14. Preparation and Properties of Paraffin/TiO2/Active-carbon Composite Phase Change Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HAO Yong-gan

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available A novel composite phase change materials (PCMs of paraffin/TiO2/active-carbon was prepared by a microemulsion method, where paraffin acted as a PCM and titanium dioxide (TiO2 as matrix material, and a small amount of active carbon was added to improve the thermal conductivity. The compositions, morphology and thermal properties of the paraffin/TiO2/active-carbon composite PCMs were characterized by XRD, SEM, TGA and DSC respectively. The shape stability during phase change process of this composite was also tested. The results show that paraffin is well encapsulated by TiO2 matrix, and thus exhibiting excellent shape-stabilized phase change feature. Besides, this composite PCM also presents superhydrophobic property. Therefore, these multifunctional features will endow PCMs with important application potential in energy efficient buildings.

  15. Preparation and thermal properties characterization of carbonate salt/carbon nanomaterial composite phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tao, Y.B.; Lin, C.H.; He, Y.L.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Nanocomposite phase change materials were prepared and characterized. • Larger specific surface area is more efficient to enhance specific heat. • Columnar structure is more efficient to enhance thermal conductivity. • Thermal conductivity enhancement is the key. • Single walled carbon nanotube is the optimal nanomaterial additive. - Abstract: To enhance the performance of high temperature salt phase change material, four kinds of carbon nanomaterials with different microstructures were mixed into binary carbonate eutectic salts to prepare carbonate salt/nanomaterial composite phase change material. The microstructures of the nanomaterial and composite phase change material were characterized by scanning electron microscope. The thermal properties such as melting point, melting enthalpy, specific heat, thermal conductivity and total thermal energy storage capacity were characterized. The results show that the nanomaterial microstructure has great effects on composite phase change material thermal properties. The sheet structure Graphene is the best additive to enhance specific heat, which could be enhanced up to 18.57%. The single walled carbon nanotube with columnar structure is the best additive to enhance thermal conductivity, which could be enhanced up to 56.98%. Melting point increases but melting enthalpy decreases with nanomaterial specific surface area increase. Although the additives decrease the melting enthalpy of composite phase change material, they also enhance the specific heat. As a combined result, the additives have little effects on thermal energy storage capacity. So, for phase change material performance enhancement, more emphasis should be placed on thermal conductivity enhancement and single walled carbon nanotube is the optimal nanomaterial additive

  16. Thermal properties of lauric acid filled in carbon nanotubes as shape-stabilized phase change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Yanhui; Wei, Runzhi; Huang, Zhi; Zhang, Xinxin; Wang, Ge

    2018-03-14

    Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) filled with lauric acid (LA) as a kind of shape-stabilized phase change material were prepared and their structures and phase change properties were characterized. The results showed that the melting point and latent heat of LA confined in carbon nanotubes were lower than those of the bulk material, and both decrease as the diameters of CNTs and the filling ratios of LA decrease. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicated that LA molecules form a liquid layer near pore walls and crystallize at the pore center. When the LA filling ratio was reduced to a certain value, all LA molecules were attached to the inner walls of CNTs, hindering their crystallization. A linear relationship between the melting temperature shift and structural properties was obtained based on the modified Gibbs-Thomson equation, which gives a reliable interpretation of the size effect of nanochannels in phase change materials. We also found that the thermal conductivity of the composite CNTs/LA was four times larger than that of pure LA. This study will provide insights into the design of novel composite phase change materials with better thermal properties by the selection of suitable porous materials and tailoring their pore structures.

  17. Data supporting the prediction of the properties of eutectic organic phase change materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samer Kahwaji

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The data presented in this article include the molar masses, melting temperatures, latent heats of fusion and temperature-dependent heat capacities of fifteen fatty acid phase change materials (PCMs. The data are used in conjunction with the thermodynamic models discussed in Kahwaji and White (2018 [1] to develop a computational tool that calculates the eutectic compositions and thermal properties of eutectic mixtures of PCMs. The computational tool is part of this article and consists of a Microsoft Excel® file available in Mendeley Data repository [2]. A description of the computational tool along with the properties of nearly 100 binary mixtures of fatty acid PCMs calculated using this tool are also included in the present article. The Excel® file is designed such that it can be easily modified or expanded by users to calculate the properties of eutectic mixtures of other classes of PCMs. Keywords: Phase change materials, PCM, Eutectic, Thermal properties, Thermal energy storage

  18. Rheological and thermal properties of suspensions of microcapsules containing phase change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Vinh Duy; Salas-Bringas, Carlos; Schüller, Reidar Barfod; Szczotok, Anna M; Hiorth, Marianne; Carmona, Manuel; Rodriguez, Juan F; Kjøniksen, Anna-Lena

    2018-01-01

    The thermal and rheological properties of suspensions of microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCM) in glycerol were investigated. When the microcapsule concentration is raised, the heat storage capacity of the suspensions becomes higher and a slight decline in the thermal conductivity of the suspensions is observed. The temperature-dependent shear-thinning behaviour of the suspensions was found to be strongly affected by non-encapsulated phase change materials (PCM). Accordingly, the rheological properties of the MPCM suspensions could be described by the Cross model below the PCM melting point while a power law model best described the data above the PCM melting point. The MPCM suspensions are interesting for energy storage and heat transfer applications. However, the non-encapsulated PCM contributes to the agglomeration of the microcapsules, which can lead to higher pumping consumption and clogging of piping systems.

  19. Aluminum-centered tetrahedron-octahedron transition in advancing Al-Sb-Te phase change properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Mengjiao; Ding, Keyuan; Rao, Feng; Li, Xianbin; Wu, Liangcai; Song, Zhitang

    2015-02-24

    Group IIIA elements, Al, Ga, or In, etc., doped Sb-Te materials have proven good phase change properties, especially the superior data retention ability over popular Ge2Sb2Te5, while their phase transition mechanisms are rarely investigated. In this paper, aiming at the phase transition of Al-Sb-Te materials, we reveal a dominant rule of local structure changes around the Al atoms based on ab initio simulations and nuclear magnetic resonance evidences. By comparing the local chemical environments around Al atoms in respective amorphous and crystalline Al-Sb-Te phases, we believe that Al-centered motifs undergo reversible tetrahedron-octahedron reconfigurations in phase transition process. Such Al-centered local structure rearrangements significantly enhance thermal stability of amorphous phase compared to that of undoped Sb-Te materials, and facilitate a low-energy amorphization due to the weak links among Al-centered and Sb-centered octahedrons. Our studies may provide a useful reference to further understand the underlying physics and optimize performances of all IIIA metal doped Sb-Te phase change materials, prompting the development of NOR/NAND Flash-like phase change memory technology.

  20. Nanoscale phase change memory materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caldwell, Marissa A; Jeyasingh, Rakesh Gnana David; Wong, H-S Philip; Milliron, Delia J

    2012-08-07

    Phase change memory materials store information through their reversible transitions between crystalline and amorphous states. For typical metal chalcogenide compounds, their phase transition properties directly impact critical memory characteristics and the manipulation of these is a major focus in the field. Here, we discuss recent work that explores the tuning of such properties by scaling the materials to nanoscale dimensions, including fabrication and synthetic strategies used to produce nanoscale phase change memory materials. The trends that emerge are relevant to understanding how such memory technologies will function as they scale to ever smaller dimensions and also suggest new approaches to designing materials for phase change applications. Finally, the challenges and opportunities raised by integrating nanoscale phase change materials into switching devices are discussed.

  1. Comments on Thermal Physical Properties Testing Methods of Phase Change Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jingchao Xie

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available There is no standard testing method of the thermal physical properties of phase change materials (PCM. This paper has shown advancements in this field. Developments and achievements in thermal physical properties testing methods of PCM were commented, including differential scanning calorimetry, T-history measurement, the water bath method, and differential thermal analysis. Testing principles, advantages and disadvantages, and important points for attention of each method were discussed. A foundation for standardized testing methods for PCM was made.

  2. Physico-chemical and mechanical properties of microencapsulated phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giro-Paloma, Jessica; Oncins, Gerard; Barreneche, Camila; Martínez, Mònica; Fernández, A. Inés; Cabeza, Luisa F.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Microencapsulated phase change material MPCM (Micronal∗ DS 5001) was evaluated in this study. ► Due to the reported microcapsules breakage, physical and mechanical properties were analysed. ► Mechanical response was evaluated by AFM with indentation mode under different temperatures. ► The main result is that stiffness of MPCM depends on the temperature assay and particle size. - Abstract: Microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCM) are well known in advanced technologies for the utilization in active and passive systems, which have the capacity to absorb and slowly release the latent heat involved in a phase change process. Microcapsules consist of little containers, which are made of polymer on the outside, and paraffin wax as PCM in the inside. The use of microencapsulated PCM has many advantages as microcapsules can handle phase change materials as core allowing the preparation of slurries. However there are some concerns about cycling of MPCM slurries because of the breakage of microcapsules during charging/discharging and the subsequent loss of effectiveness. This phenomenon motivates the study of the mechanical response when a force is applied to the microcapsule. The maximum force that Micronal® DS 5001 can afford before breaking was determined by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). To simulate real conditions in service, assays were done at different temperatures: with the PCM in solid state at 25 °C, and with the PCM melted at 45 °C and 80 °C. To better understand the behavior of these materials, Micronal® DS 5001 microcapsules were characterized using different physic-chemical techniques. Microcapsules Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) results showed the main vibrations corresponding to acrylic groups of the outside polymer. Thermal stability was studied by Thermogravimetrical Analysis (TGA), and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) was used to characterize the resulting inorganic residue. The thermal properties were

  3. Characterization of thermophysical properties of phase change materials for non-membrane based indirect solar desalination application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarwar, J.; Mansoor, B.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Thermal cycling of paraffin waxes phase change materials. • Differential Scanning Calorimetry and thermogravimetric study of the materials. • Characterization of the phase change materials via Temperature History Method. • Investigation of suitability of materials for indirect solar desalination system. • Paraffin waxes are suitable for non-membrane indirect solar desalination system. - Abstract: Phase change material as a thermal energy storage medium has been widely incorporated in various technologies like solar air/water heating, buildings, and desalination for efficient use and management of fluctuating solar energy. Temperature and thermal energy requirements dictate the selection of an appropriate phase change material for its application in various engineering systems. In this work, two phase change materials belonging to organic paraffin wax class have been characterized to obtain their thermophysical properties. The melting/solidification temperatures, latent heat of fusion and heat capacities of the phase change materials have been investigated using Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Thermogravimetric analysis and Temperature History Method. Thermal cycles up to 300 are performed to investigate melting and solidification reversibility as well as degradation over time. It is shown that the selected paraffin waxes have reversible phase change with no degradation of thermophysical properties over time. It is also shown that melting/solidification temperature and thermal energy storage capabilities make them suitable for their application as a thermal energy storage medium, in high temperature vapour compression, multi-stage flash and multi-effect distillation processes of non-membrane based indirect desalination systems.

  4. Fabrication and characterization of dual-functional ultrafine composite fibers with phase-change energy storage and luminescence properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xi, Peng; Zhao, Tianxiang; Xia, Lei; Shu, Dengkun; Ma, Menjiao; Cheng, Bowen

    2017-01-09

    Ultrafine composite fibers consisting of a thermoplastic polyurethane solid-solid phase-change material and organic lanthanide luminescent materials were prepared through a parallel electrospinning technique as an innovative type of ultrafine, dual-functional fibers containing phase-change and luminescent properties. The morphology and structure, thermal energy storage, and luminescent properties of parallel electrospun ultrafine fibers were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the parallel electrospun ultrafine fibers possessed the desired morphologies with smaller average fiber diameters than those of traditional mixed electrospun ultrafine fibers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that the parallel electrospun ultrafine fibers were composed of two parts. Polymeric phase-change materials, which can be directly produced and spun, were used to provide temperature stability, while a mixture of polymethyl methacrylate and an organic lanthanide complex acted as the luminescent unit. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and luminescence measurements indicated that the unique structure of the parallel electrospun ultrafine fibers provides the products with good thermal energy storage and luminescence properties. The fluorescence intensity and the phase-change enthalpy values of the ultrafine fibers prepared by parallel electrospinning were respectively 1.6 and 2.1 times those of ultrafine fibers prepared by mixed electrospinning.

  5. Thermophysical properties estimation of paraffin/graphite composite phase change material using an inverse method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lachheb, Mohamed; Karkri, Mustapha; Albouchi, Fethi; Mzali, Foued; Nasrallah, Sassi Ben

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Preparation of paraffin/graphite composites by uni-axial compression technique. • Measurement of thermophysical properties of paraffin/graphite using the periodic method. • Measurement of the experimental densities of paraffin/graphite composites. • Prediction of the effective thermal conductivity using analytical models. - Abstract: In this paper, two types of graphite were combined with paraffin in an attempt to improve thermal conductivity of paraffin phase change material (PCM): Synthetic graphite (Timrex SFG75) and graphite waste obtained from damaged Tubular graphite Heat Exchangers. These paraffin/graphite phase change material (PCM) composites are prepared by the cold uniaxial compression technique and the thermophysical properties were estimated using a periodic temperature method and an inverse technique. Results showed that the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity are greatly influenced by the graphite addition

  6. Correlation between structural, optical and electrical properties anf the suitability of phase change alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Woda, Michael; Steimer, Christoph; Wamwangi, Daniel; Wuttig, Matthias [I. Insitute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen (Germany)

    2007-07-01

    Phase change random access memory (PCRAM) is a very promising candidate to replace Flash memories employed in the non-volatile storage sector. In the active region of this emerging memory, a phase change material is found. This class of materials is already used in rewritable optical data storage. In both application areas the reversible switching between the amorphous and the crystalline state by short current or laser pulses, respectively is used to store data. A key question that has not yet been answered regards the optimum choice of materials for phase change recording. We present a material selection strategy which classifies carefully chosen alloys, being representative for a larger selection of phase change materials, regarding their suitability for non-volatile storage applications. XRD and XRR measurements reveal structural properties of the as-deposited, amorphous and the crystalline state, the corresponding local bond arrangements and the change of film density. Ellipsometry measurements determine the optical contrast of the samples while the temperature dependent resistivity is measured by four point probe experiments. Finally the electrical switching behaviour is tested in nanometer size test cells to validate the full functionality of the chosen materials.

  7. Reversible switching in phase-change materials

    OpenAIRE

    Wojciech Wełnic; Matthias Wuttig

    2008-01-01

    Phase-change materials are successfully employed in optical data storage and are becoming a promising candidate for future electronic storage applications. Despite the increasing technological interest, many fundamental properties of these materials remain poorly understood. However, in the last few years the understanding of the material properties of phase-change materials has increased significantly. At the same time, great advances have been achieved in technological applications in elect...

  8. Atomic structure and electronic properties of the SixSb100-x phase-change memory material

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Verma, Ashok K.; Modak, Paritosh; Svane, Axel

    2011-01-01

    The electronic and structural properties of SixSb100-x (x∼16) materials are investigated using first-principles molecular dynamics simulations. Crystalline-liquid-amorphous phase transitions are examined and remarkable changes in the local structure around the Si atoms are found. The average Si...... coordination number 6 (3 long + 3 short Si-Sb bonds) of the crystalline phase changes to 4 (3 long Si-Sb + 1 short Si-Si bonds) by preserving three Si-Sb bonds in both the liquid and the amorphous phases. In the amorphous phase ∼90% of the Si atoms are fourfold coordinated compared to 40% in the liquid....... The electronic density of states is metal-like in both the crystalline and the liquid phases, but it exhibits a pseudogap at the Fermi level in the amorphous phase, reflecting the strong abundance of fourfold coordinated Si in the amorphous phase....

  9. Phase change materials in non-volatile storage

    OpenAIRE

    Ielmini, Daniele; Lacaita, Andrea L.

    2011-01-01

    After revolutionizing the technology of optical data storage, phase change materials are being adopted in non-volatile semiconductor memories. Their success in electronic storage is mostly due to the unique properties of the amorphous state where carrier transport phenomena and thermally-induced phase change cooperate to enable high-speed, low-voltage operation and stable data retention possible within the same material. This paper reviews the key physical properties that make this phase so s...

  10. Preparation and hygrothermal properties of composite phase change humidity control materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Zhi; Qin, Menghao

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A new kind of phase change humidity control material (PCHCM) was prepared. • The PCHCM can moderate both the indoor temperature and humidity. • The silicon dioxide shell can improve the thermal properties of the composite. • The PCM microcapsules can improve the moisture buffer ability of the composite. • The CPCM/vesuvianite composite has a better hygrothermal performance than pure hygroscopic material. - Abstract: A novel phase change humidity control material (PCHCM) was prepared by using PCM microcapsules and different hygroscopic porous materials. The PCHCM composite can regulate the indoor hygrothermal environment by absorbing or releasing both heat and moisture. The PCM microcapsules were synthesized with methyl triethoxysilane by the sol–gel method. The vesuvianite, sepiolite and zeolite were used as hygroscopic materials. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to measure the morphology profiles of the microcapsules and PCHCM. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to determine the thermal properties and thermal stability. Both the moisture transfer coefficient and moisture buffer value (MBV) of different PCHCMs were measured by the improved cup method. The DSC results showed that the SiO 2 shell can reduce the super-cooling degree of PCM. The super-cooling degrees of microcapsules and PCHCM are lower than that of the pure PCM. The onset temperature of thermal degradation of the microcapsules and PCHCMs is higher than that of pure PCM. Both the moisture transfer coefficient and MBV of PCHCMs are higher than that of the pure hygroscopic materials. The results indicated the PCHCMs have better thermal properties and moisture buffer ability.

  11. Preparation and thermal properties of form stable paraffin phase change material encapsulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Xing; Liu Hongyan; Wang Shujun; Zhang Lu; Cheng Hua

    2006-01-01

    Paraffin waxes are cheap and have moderate thermal energy storage density but low thermal conductivity and, hence, require large surface area to be used in energy storage. Form stable paraffin phase change materials (PCM) in which paraffin serves as a latent heat storage material and polyolefins act as a supporting material, because of paraffin leakage, are required to be improved. The form stable paraffin PCM in the present paper was encapsulated in an inorganic silica gel polymer successfully by in situ polymerization. The differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was used to measure its thermal properties. At the same time, the Washburn equation, which measures the wetting properties of powder materials, was used to test the hydrophilic-lipophilic properties of the PCMs. The result indicated that the enthalpy of the microencapsulated PCMs was reduced little, while their hydrophilic properties were enhanced largely

  12. Vortex phase-induced changes of the statistical properties of a partially coherent radially polarized beam.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Lina; Chen, Yahong; Liu, Xianlong; Liu, Lin; Cai, Yangjian

    2016-06-27

    Partially coherent radially polarized (PCRP) beam was introduced and generated in recent years. In this paper, we investigate the statistical properties of a PCRP beam embedded with a vortex phase (i.e., PCRP vortex beam). We derive the analytical formula for the cross-spectral density matrix of a PCRP vortex beam propagating through a paraxial ABCD optical system and analyze the statistical properties of a PCRP vortex beam focused by a thin lens. It is found that the statistical properties of a PCRP vortex beam on propagation are much different from those of a PCRP beam. The vortex phase induces not only the rotation of the beam spot, but also the changes of the beam shape, the degree of polarization and the state of polarization. We also find that the vortex phase plays a role of resisting the coherence-induced degradation of the intensity distribution and the coherence-induced depolarization. Furthermore, we report experimental generation of a PCRP vortex beam for the first time. Our results will be useful for trapping and rotating particles, free-space optical communications and detection of phase object.

  13. Microstructure and electrical properties of Sb2Te phase-change material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Guangyu; Wu, Liangcai; Li, Tao; Rao, Feng; Song, Sannian; Liu, Bo; Song, Zhitang

    2016-10-01

    Phase Change Memory (PCM) has great potential for commercial applications of next generation non-volatile memory (NVM) due to its high operation speed, high endurance and low power consumption. Sb2Te (ST) is a common phase-change material and has fast crystallization speed, while thermal stability is relatively poor and its crystallization temperature is about 142°C. According to the Arrhenius law, the extrapolated failure temperature is about 55°C for ten years. When heated above the crystallization temperature while below the melting point, its structure can be transformed from amorphous phase to hexagonal phase. Due to the growth-dominated crystallization mechanism, the grain size of ST film is large and the diameter of about 300 nm is too large compared with Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST), which may deteriorate the device performance. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) were employed to study the microstructures and the results indicate that the crystal plane is {110}. In addition, device cells were manufactured and their current-voltage (I-V) and resistance-voltage characteristics were tested, and the results reveal that the threshold voltage (Vth) of ST film is 0.87 V. By researching the basic properties of ST, we can understand its disadvantages and manage to improve its performance by doping or other proper methods. Finally, the improved ST can be a candidate for optical discs and PCM.

  14. A self-resetting spiking phase-change neuron

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cobley, R. A.; Hayat, H.; Wright, C. D.

    2018-05-01

    Neuromorphic, or brain-inspired, computing applications of phase-change devices have to date concentrated primarily on the implementation of phase-change synapses. However, the so-called accumulation mode of operation inherent in phase-change materials and devices can also be used to mimic the integrative properties of a biological neuron. Here we demonstrate, using physical modelling of nanoscale devices and SPICE modelling of associated circuits, that a single phase-change memory cell integrated into a comparator type circuit can deliver a basic hardware mimic of an integrate-and-fire spiking neuron with self-resetting capabilities. Such phase-change neurons, in combination with phase-change synapses, can potentially open a new route for the realisation of all-phase-change neuromorphic computing.

  15. A self-resetting spiking phase-change neuron.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cobley, R A; Hayat, H; Wright, C D

    2018-05-11

    Neuromorphic, or brain-inspired, computing applications of phase-change devices have to date concentrated primarily on the implementation of phase-change synapses. However, the so-called accumulation mode of operation inherent in phase-change materials and devices can also be used to mimic the integrative properties of a biological neuron. Here we demonstrate, using physical modelling of nanoscale devices and SPICE modelling of associated circuits, that a single phase-change memory cell integrated into a comparator type circuit can deliver a basic hardware mimic of an integrate-and-fire spiking neuron with self-resetting capabilities. Such phase-change neurons, in combination with phase-change synapses, can potentially open a new route for the realisation of all-phase-change neuromorphic computing.

  16. Preparation, characterization, and thermal properties of microencapsulated phase change material for thermal energy storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alkan, Cemil; Sari, Ahmet; Karaipekli, Ali [Department of Chemistry, Gaziosmanpasa University, 60240 Tokat (Turkey); Uzun, Orhan [Department of Physics, Gaziosmanpasa University, 60240 Tokat (Turkey)

    2009-01-15

    This study is focused on the preparation, characterization, and determination of thermal properties of microencapsulated docosane with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as phase change material for thermal energy storage. Microencapsulation of docosane has been carried out by emulsion polymerization. The microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Thermal properties and thermal stability of MEPCM were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). DSC analysis indicated that the docosane in the microcapsules melts at 41.0 C and crystallizes at 40.6 C. It has latent heats of 54.6 and -48.7 J/g for melting and crystallization, respectively. TGA showed that the MEPCM degraded in three distinguishable steps and had good chemical stability. Accelerated thermal cycling tests also indicated that the MEPCM had good thermal reliability. Based on all these results, it can be concluded that the microencapsulated docosane as MEPCMs have good potential for thermal energy storage purposes such as solar space heating applications. (author)

  17. Thermophysical and heat transfer properties of phase change material candidate for waste heat transportation system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaizawa, Akihide; Maruoka, Nobuhiro; Kawai, Atsushi; Kamano, Hiroomi; Jozuka, Tetsuji; Senda, Takeshi; Akiyama, Tomohiro

    2008-05-01

    A waste heat transportation system trans-heat (TH) system is quite attractive that uses the latent heat of a phase change material (PCM). The purpose of this paper is to study the thermophysical properties of various sugars and sodium acetate trihydrate (SAT) as PCMs for a practical TH system and the heat transfer property between PCM selected and heat transfer oil, by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and a heat storage tube. As a result, erythritol, with a large latent heat of 344 kJ/kg at melting point of 117°C, high decomposition point of 160°C and excellent chemical stability under repeated phase change cycles was found to be the best PCM among them for the practical TH system. In the heat release experiments between liquid erythritol and flowing cold oil, we observed foaming phenomena of encapsulated oil, in which oil droplet was coated by solidification of PCM.

  18. Temperature-dependent thermal properties of a paraffin phase change material embedded with herringbone style graphite nanofibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Warzoha, Ronald J.; Weigand, Rebecca M.; Fleischer, Amy S.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • The thermal properties of a PCM with nanofibers are determined. • The solid-phase thermal conductivity scales exponentially with volume fraction. • The liquid-phase thermal conductivity is only enhanced beyond a critical percolation threshold. • The nanoscale interface resistance depends on the nanoparticle’s dimensionality. • The thermal diffusivity and volumetric heat capacity of the nanoenhanced PCMs are found. - Abstract: In many studies, carbon nanoparticles with high values of thermal conductivity (10–3000 W/m K) 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 of these nanoparticles on a PCM’s solid phase thermal properties, little is known about their effect on its liquid phase thermal properties. Thus, in this study, the effect of implanting randomly oriented herringbone style graphite nanofibers (HGNF, average diameter = 100 nm, average length = 20 μm) on the bulk thermal properties of an organic paraffin PCM (IGI 1230A, T melt = 329.15 K) in both the solid and liquid phase is quantified. The bulk thermal conductivity, volumetric heat capacity and thermal diffusivity of HGNF/PCM nanocomposites are obtained as a function of temperature and HGNF volume loading level. It is found that the property enhancement varies significantly depending on the material phase. In order to explain the difference between solid and liquid phase thermal properties, heat flow at the nanoparticle–PCM and nanoparticle–nanoparticle interfaces is examined as a function of HGNF loading level and temperature. To do this, the solid and liquid phase thermal boundary resistances (TBRs) between the nanoparticles and the surrounding PCM and/or between contacting nanoparticles are found. Results suggest that the TBR at the HGNF–PCM interface is nearly double the TBR across the HGNF–HGNF interface in

  19. The Influence of Phase Change Materials on the Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete

    OpenAIRE

    Miguel Ángel Álvarez; Jaime Lorenzo; Itziar Goicoechea; María Fenollera; José Luis Míguez

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to research new thermally-efficient concrete walls, analyzing the mechanical behavior of a self-compacting concrete to manufacture an uncoated solid structural panel, with the incorporation of a micro-encapsulated phase change material as additive. Different dosages are tested and mechanical properties of the product obtained from the molding of concrete specimens are evaluated, testing mechanical compressive strength, slump flow, and density. The results reveal the o...

  20. Modified T-history method for measuring thermophysical properties of phase change materials at high temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omaraa, Ehsan; Saman, Wasim; Bruno, Frank; Liu, Ming

    2017-06-01

    Latent heat storage using phase change materials (PCMs) can be used to store large amounts of energy in a narrow temperature difference during phase transition. The thermophysical properties of PCMs such as latent heat, specific heat and melting and solidification temperature need to be defined at high precision for the design and estimating the cost of latent heat storage systems. The existing laboratory standard methods, such as differential thermal analysis (DTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), use a small sample size (1-10 mg) to measure thermophysical properties, which makes these methods suitable for homogeneous elements. In addition, this small amount of sample has different thermophysical properties when compared with the bulk sample and may have limitations for evaluating the properties of mixtures. To avoid the drawbacks in existing methods, the temperature - history (T-history) method can be used with bulk quantities of PCM salt mixtures to characterize PCMs. This paper presents a modified T-history setup, which was designed and built at the University of South Australia to measure the melting point, heat of fusion, specific heat, degree of supercooling and phase separation of salt mixtures for a temperature range between 200 °C and 400 °C. Sodium Nitrate (NaNO3) was used to verify the accuracy of the new setup.

  1. Study on thermal property of lauric–palmitic–stearic acid/vermiculite composite as form-stable phase change material for energy storage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nan Zhang

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The form-stable composite phase change material of lauric–palmitic–stearic acid ternary eutectic mixture/vermiculite was prepared by vacuum impregnation method for thermal energy storage. The maximum mass fraction of lauric–palmitic–stearic acid ternary eutectic mixture retained in vermiculite was determined as 50 wt% without melted phase change material seepage from the composite phase change material. Fourier transformation infrared spectroscope and scanning electron microscope were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the prepared lauric–palmitic–stearic acid ternary eutectic mixture/vermiculite form-stable composite phase change material, and the results indicate that lauric–palmitic–stearic acid ternary eutectic mixture was well confined into the layer porous structure of vermiculite by physical reaction. The melting and freezing temperatures and latent heats were measured by differential scanning calorimeter as 31.4°C and 30.3°C, and 75.8 and 73.2 J/g, respectively. Thermal cycling test showed that there was no significant change in the thermal properties of lauric–palmitic–stearic acid ternary eutectic mixture/vermiculite form-stable composite phase change material after 1000 thermal cycles. Moreover, 2 wt% expanded graphite was added to improve the thermal conductivity of lauric–palmitic–stearic acid ternary eutectic mixture/vermiculite form-stable composite phase change material. All results indicated that the prepared lauric–palmitic–stearic acid ternary eutectic mixture/vermiculite form-stable composite phase change material had suitable thermal properties and good thermal reliability for the application of thermal energy storage in building energy efficiency.

  2. Effect of water phase transition on dynamic ruptures with thermal pressurization: Numerical simulations with changes in physical properties of water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urata, Yumi; Kuge, Keiko; Kase, Yuko

    2015-02-01

    Phase transitions of pore water have never been considered in dynamic rupture simulations with thermal pressurization (TP), although they may control TP. From numerical simulations of dynamic rupture propagation including TP, in the absence of any water phase transition process, we predict that frictional heating and TP are likely to change liquid pore water into supercritical water for a strike-slip fault under depth-dependent stress. This phase transition causes changes of a few orders of magnitude in viscosity, compressibility, and thermal expansion among physical properties of water, thus affecting the diffusion of pore pressure. Accordingly, we perform numerical simulations of dynamic ruptures with TP, considering physical properties that vary with the pressure and temperature of pore water on a fault. To observe the effects of the phase transition, we assume uniform initial stress and no fault-normal variations in fluid density and viscosity. The results suggest that the varying physical properties decrease the total slip in cases with high stress at depth and small shear zone thickness. When fault-normal variations in fluid density and viscosity are included in the diffusion equation, they activate TP much earlier than the phase transition. As a consequence, the total slip becomes greater than that in the case with constant physical properties, eradicating the phase transition effect. Varying physical properties do not affect the rupture velocity, irrespective of the fault-normal variations. Thus, the phase transition of pore water has little effect on dynamic ruptures. Fault-normal variations in fluid density and viscosity may play a more significant role.

  3. Using Graphs of Gibbs Energy versus Temperature in General Chemistry Discussions of Phase Changes and Colligative Properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanson, Robert M.; Riley, Patrick; Schwinefus, Jeff; Fischer, Paul J.

    2008-01-01

    The use of qualitative graphs of Gibbs energy versus temperature is described in the context of chemical demonstrations involving phase changes and colligative properties at the general chemistry level. (Contains 5 figures and 1 note.)

  4. Application of phase-change materials in memory taxonomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lei; Tu, Liang; Wen, Jing

    2017-01-01

    Phase-change materials are suitable for data storage because they exhibit reversible transitions between crystalline and amorphous states that have distinguishable electrical and optical properties. Consequently, these materials find applications in diverse memory devices ranging from conventional optical discs to emerging nanophotonic devices. Current research efforts are mostly devoted to phase-change random access memory, whereas the applications of phase-change materials in other types of memory devices are rarely reported. Here we review the physical principles of phase-change materials and devices aiming to help researchers understand the concept of phase-change memory. We classify phase-change memory devices into phase-change optical disc, phase-change scanning probe memory, phase-change random access memory, and phase-change nanophotonic device, according to their locations in memory hierarchy. For each device type we discuss the physical principles in conjunction with merits and weakness for data storage applications. We also outline state-of-the-art technologies and future prospects.

  5. Multilayer SnSb4-SbSe Thin Films for Phase Change Materials Possessing Ultrafast Phase Change Speed and Enhanced Stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ruirui; Zhou, Xiao; Zhai, Jiwei; Song, Jun; Wu, Pengzhi; Lai, Tianshu; Song, Sannian; Song, Zhitang

    2017-08-16

    A multilayer thin film, comprising two different phase change material (PCM) components alternatively deposited, provides an effective means to tune and leverage good properties of its components, promising a new route toward high-performance PCMs. The present study systematically investigated the SnSb 4 -SbSe multilayer thin film as a potential PCM, combining experiments and first-principles calculations, and demonstrated that these multilayer thin films exhibit good electrical resistivity, robust thermal stability, and superior phase change speed. In particular, the potential operating temperature for 10 years is shown to be 122.0 °C and the phase change speed reaches 5 ns in the device test. The good thermal stability of the multilayer thin film is shown to come from the formation of the Sb 2 Se 3 phase, whereas the fast phase change speed can be attributed to the formation of vacancies and a SbSe metastable phase. It is also demonstrated that the SbSe metastable phase contributes to further enhancing the electrical resistivity of the crystalline state and the thermal stability of the amorphous state, being vital to determining the properties of the multilayer SnSb 4 -SbSe thin film.

  6. Application of phase-change materials in memory taxonomy

    OpenAIRE

    Wang, Lei; Tu, Liang; Wen, Jing

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Phase-change materials are suitable for data storage because they exhibit reversible transitions between crystalline and amorphous states that have distinguishable electrical and optical properties. Consequently, these materials find applications in diverse memory devices ranging from conventional optical discs to emerging nanophotonic devices. Current research efforts are mostly devoted to phase-change random access memory, whereas the applications of phase-change materials in other...

  7. Preparation, characterization, and thermal properties of the microencapsulation of a hydrated salt as phase change energy storage materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Jin; Wang, Tingyu; Zhu, Panpan; Xiao, Junbin

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Phase change point and fusion heat of samples are about 51 °Cand 150 J/g respectively. ► DSC results indicated the core material is not Na 2 HPO 4 ·12H 2 O but Na 2 HPO 4 ·7H 2 O. ► Encapsulation takes a significant role in reducing subcooling degree. - Abstract: Microcapsules loaded by disodium hydrogen phosphate heptahydrate (Na 2 HPO 4 ·7H 2 O) were prepared by means of the suspension copolymerization-solvent volatile method, with modified polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as coating polymer under the conditions of various organic solvents. The formation of the microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCMs)-PMMA/Na 2 HPO 4 ·7H 2 O was investigated and analyzed. The morphology of the resultant materials was characterized by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and phase contrast microscope. Its final composition was confirmed by the Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR). Thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were adopted to reveal its thermal stability and thermal properties. Results indicated that the materials owned improved subcooling degree and good thermal properties, enabling the materials to be one promising phase change materials for thermal energy storage

  8. Preparation, characterization, and thermal properties of the microencapsulation of a hydrated salt as phase change energy storage materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Jin, E-mail: huangjiner@126.com [School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, 510006 Guangzhou (China); Wang, Tingyu; Zhu, Panpan; Xiao, Junbin [School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, 510006 Guangzhou (China)

    2013-04-10

    Highlights: ► Phase change point and fusion heat of samples are about 51 °Cand 150 J/g respectively. ► DSC results indicated the core material is not Na{sub 2}HPO{sub 4}·12H{sub 2}O but Na{sub 2}HPO{sub 4}·7H{sub 2}O. ► Encapsulation takes a significant role in reducing subcooling degree. - Abstract: Microcapsules loaded by disodium hydrogen phosphate heptahydrate (Na{sub 2}HPO{sub 4}·7H{sub 2}O) were prepared by means of the suspension copolymerization-solvent volatile method, with modified polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as coating polymer under the conditions of various organic solvents. The formation of the microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCMs)-PMMA/Na{sub 2}HPO{sub 4}·7H{sub 2}O was investigated and analyzed. The morphology of the resultant materials was characterized by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and phase contrast microscope. Its final composition was confirmed by the Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR). Thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were adopted to reveal its thermal stability and thermal properties. Results indicated that the materials owned improved subcooling degree and good thermal properties, enabling the materials to be one promising phase change materials for thermal energy storage.

  9. Data supporting the prediction of the properties of eutectic organic phase change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahwaji, Samer; White, Mary Anne

    2018-04-01

    The data presented in this article include the molar masses, melting temperatures, latent heats of fusion and temperature-dependent heat capacities of fifteen fatty acid phase change materials (PCMs). The data are used in conjunction with the thermodynamic models discussed in Kahwaji and White (2018) [1] to develop a computational tool that calculates the eutectic compositions and thermal properties of eutectic mixtures of PCMs. The computational tool is part of this article and consists of a Microsoft Excel® file available in Mendeley Data repository [2]. A description of the computational tool along with the properties of nearly 100 binary mixtures of fatty acid PCMs calculated using this tool are also included in the present article. The Excel® file is designed such that it can be easily modified or expanded by users to calculate the properties of eutectic mixtures of other classes of PCMs.

  10. Improvements to the measurement of the thermal properties of phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kravvaritis, E D; Antonopoulos, K A; Tzivanidis, C

    2010-01-01

    Improvements are proposed to the well-known T-history method, which is widely used for thermal properties measurement of phase change materials (PCM). Our improvements refer to the experimental arrangement, to the way of measurement processing, as well as to the kind and presentation format of the final results. The proposed arrangement has a controlled indoor environment and is fully automatic, without need for staff attendance, even for repeated sets of measurements of the same or different PCM simultaneously. The proposed way of measurement processing is based on the use of thermal delay (i.e. temperature difference) between PCM and a reference fluid at any specified time and not in the use of their time delay at any specified temperature. This fundamental change leads to increased accuracy and considerable reduction of duration and labour of the measurement processing, as proved by the performed measurements of various PCM. The effective thermal capacity function as a final result is proved to be more useful than the results of the original method. The new procedure is a first step towards defining specifications for the measurement of PCM thermal properties

  11. Preparation and properties of lauric acid/silicon dioxide composites as form-stable phase change materials for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang Guiyin; Li Hui; Liu Xu

    2010-01-01

    Form-stable lauric acid (LA)/silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) composite phase change materials were prepared using sol-gel methods. The LA was used as the phase change material for thermal energy storage, with the SiO 2 acting as the supporting material. The structural analysis of these form-stable LA/SiO 2 composite phase change materials was carried out using Fourier transformation infrared spectroscope (FT-IR). The microstructure of the form-stable composite phase change materials was observed by a scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The thermal properties and thermal stability were investigated by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and a thermogravimetric analysis apparatus (TGA), respectively. The SEM results showed that the LA was well dispersed in the porous network of SiO 2 . The DSC results indicated that the melting latent heat of the form-stable composite phase change material is 117.21 kJ kg -1 when the mass percentage of the LA in the SiO 2 is 64.8%. The results of the TGA showed that these materials have good thermal stability. The form-stable composite phase change materials can be used for thermal energy storage in waste heat recovery and solar heating systems.

  12. Crystal growth within a phase change memory cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sebastian, Abu; Le Gallo, Manuel; Krebs, Daniel

    2014-07-07

    In spite of the prominent role played by phase change materials in information technology, a detailed understanding of the central property of such materials, namely the phase change mechanism, is still lacking mostly because of difficulties associated with experimental measurements. Here, we measure the crystal growth velocity of a phase change material at both the nanometre length and the nanosecond timescale using phase-change memory cells. The material is studied in the technologically relevant melt-quenched phase and directly in the environment in which the phase change material is going to be used in the application. We present a consistent description of the temperature dependence of the crystal growth velocity in the glass and the super-cooled liquid up to the melting temperature.

  13. Experimental Studies of Phase Change and Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials in a Cold Storage/Transportation System with Solar Driven Cooling Cycle

    OpenAIRE

    Lin Zheng; Wei Zhang; Fei Liang; Shuang Lin; Xiangyu Jin

    2017-01-01

    The paper presents the different properties of phase change material (PCM) and Microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) employed to cold storage/transportation system with a solar-driven cooling cycle. Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) tests have been performed to analyze the materials enthalpy, melting temperature range, and temperature range of solidification. KD2 Pro is used to test the thermal conductivities of phase change materials slurry and the results were used to compar...

  14. Preparation, characterization and thermal properties of nanocapsules containing phase change material n-dodecanol by miniemulsion polymerization with polymerizable emulsifier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Zhong-Hua; Yu, Fei; Zeng, Xing-Rong; Zhang, Zheng-Guo

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We prepare nanocapsules containing n-dodecanol via miniemulsion polymerization. ► Polymerizable emulsifier plays important role in the preparation of nanocapsules. ► Adding co-emulsifier into water phase is helpful to encapsulate n-dodecanol. ► The phase change latent heat of nanocapsule is 98.8 J/g with temperature of 18.2 °C. -- Abstract: Nanocapsules containing phase change material (PCM) n-dodecanol as core and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as shell were synthesized by miniemulsion polymerization with polymerizable emulsifier DNS-86 and co-emulsifier hexadecane (HD). The nanocapsules were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscope (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and laser particle diameter analyzer. The effects of polymerizable emulsifier and co-emulsifier on the properties of nanocapsules were studied. The results show that thermal properties of nanocapsules are affected greatly by the addition methods of HD and the amounts of DNS-86 and HD. Adding HD into water phase is helpful for the encapsulation of n-dodecanol. When the mass ratios of DNS-86 to n-dodecanol and the mass ratios of HD to n-dodecanol were 3% and 2%, the phase change latent heat and the encapsulation efficiency of nanocapsules reached to the maximum value of 98.8 J/g and 82.2%, respectively. Spherical nanocapsules with mean diameter of 150 nm and phase change temperature of 18.2 °C are obtained, which are sure to have a good potential for energy storage.

  15. Experimental Studies of Phase Change and Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials in a Cold Storage/Transportation System with Solar Driven Cooling Cycle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Zheng

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the different properties of phase change material (PCM and Microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM employed to cold storage/transportation system with a solar-driven cooling cycle. Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC tests have been performed to analyze the materials enthalpy, melting temperature range, and temperature range of solidification. KD2 Pro is used to test the thermal conductivities of phase change materials slurry and the results were used to compare the materials heat transfer performance. The slurry flow characteristics of MEPCM slurry also have been tested. Furthermore, in order to analyze the improvement effect on stability, the stability of MEPCM slurry with different surfactants have been tested. The researches of the PCM and MEPCM thermal properties revealed a more prospective application for phase change materials in energy storage/transportation systems. The study aims to find the most suitable chilling medium to further optimize the design of the cold storage/transportation systems with solar driven cooling cycles.

  16. Preparation, microstructure and thermal properties of Mg−Bi alloys as phase change materials for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang, Dong; Sun, Zheng; Li, Yuanyuan; Cheng, Xiaomin

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The microstructure and thermal properties of Mg−Bi alloys are determined. • The relationship between melting enthalpies and phase composition are studied. • The activation energy of Mg−54%Bi alloy is calculated by multiple DSC technology. • Mg−54%Bi alloy is proposed as a phase change material at high (>420 °C) temperature. - Abstract: Comparing with Al-based phase change material, Mg-based phase change material is getting more and more attention due to its high corrosion resistance with encapsulation materials based on iron. This study focuses on the characterization of Mg−36%Bi, Mg−54%Bi and Mg−60%Bi (wt. %) alloys as phase change materials for thermal energy storage at high temperature. The phase compositions, microstructure and phase change temperatures were investigated by X-ray diffusion (XRD), electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) analysis, respectively. The results indicates that the microstructure of Mg−36%Bi and Mg−54%Bi alloys are mainly composed of α-Mg matrix and α-Mg + Mg_3Bi_2 eutectic phases, Mg−60%Bi alloy are mainly composed of the Mg_3Bi_2 phase and α-MgMg_3Bi_2 eutectic phases. The melting enthalpies of Mg−36%Bi, Mg−54%Bi and Mg−60%Bi alloys are 138.2, 180.5 and 48.7 J/g, with the phase change temperatures of 547.6, 546.3 and 548.1 °C, respectively. The Mg−54%Bi alloy has the highest melting enthalpy in three alloys. The main reason may be that it has more proportion of α-Mg + Mg_3Bi_2 eutectic phases. The thermal expansion of three alloys increases with increasing temperature. The values of the thermal conductivity decrease with increasing Bi content. Besides, the activation energy of Mg−54%Bi was calculated by multiple DSC technology.

  17. Aging mechanisms in amorphous phase-change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raty, Jean Yves; Zhang, Wei; Luckas, Jennifer; Chen, Chao; Mazzarello, Riccardo; Bichara, Christophe; Wuttig, Matthias

    2015-06-24

    Aging is a ubiquitous phenomenon in glasses. In the case of phase-change materials, it leads to a drift in the electrical resistance, which hinders the development of ultrahigh density storage devices. Here we elucidate the aging process in amorphous GeTe, a prototypical phase-change material, by advanced numerical simulations, photothermal deflection spectroscopy and impedance spectroscopy experiments. We show that aging is accompanied by a progressive change of the local chemical order towards the crystalline one. Yet, the glass evolves towards a covalent amorphous network with increasing Peierls distortion, whose structural and electronic properties drift away from those of the resonantly bonded crystal. This behaviour sets phase-change materials apart from conventional glass-forming systems, which display the same local structure and bonding in both phases.

  18. Electrospun phase change fibers based on polyethylene glycol/cellulose acetate blends

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Changzhong; Wang, Linge; Huang, Yong

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Ultrafine PEG/CA phase change fibers were fabricated by electrospinning. → PEG content dramatically influenced the fiber morphology and phase change behaviors. → The electrospun fibers have excellent thermal properties for thermal energy storage. - Abstract: Ultrafine phase change fibers based on polyethylene glycol (PEG)/cellulose acetate (CA) blends in which PEG acts as a model phase change material (PCM) and CA acts as a supporting material, were successfully prepared via electrospinning. The effect of PEG content on the morphology, crystalline properties, phase change behaviors and tensile properties of the composite fibers was studied systematically by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and a tensile tester, respectively. The SEM observation indicates that maximum PEG content in the fibers could reach up to 70 wt%, and the morphology and average diameter of the composite fibers vary with PEG content. Thermal analysis results show that the latent heats of the phase change fibers increase with the increasing of PEG content in the fibers, and the PEG/CA fibers with high enthalpies have a good capability to regulate their interior temperature as the ambient temperature alters. Therefore, the developed phase change fibers have enormous applicable potentials in thermal energy storage and temperature regulation.

  19. Anomalous phase change characteristics in Fe-Te materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu, X. T.; Song, W. D.; Ji, R.; Ho, H. W.; Wang, L.; Hong, M. H.

    2012-01-01

    Phase change materials have become significantly attractive due to its unique characteristics for its extensive applications. In this paper, a kind of phase change material, which consists of Fe and Te components, is developed. The crystallization temperature of the Fe-Te materials is 180 deg. C for Fe 1.19 Te and can be adjusted by the Fe/Te ratio. High-speed phase change in the Fe-Te materials has been demonstrated by nanosecond laser irradiation. Comparing to conventional phase change materials, the Fe-Te materials exhibit an anomalous optical property that has higher reflectivity at amorphous than crystalline state, which is useful for data storage design.

  20. Study on preparation and thermal property of binary fatty acid and the binary fatty acids/diatomite composite phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Min; Kao, Hongtao; Wu, Zhishen; Tan, Jinmiao

    2011-01-01

    This study prepared a series of binary phase change materials by mixing decanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid and octadecanoic acid each other. The phase-transition temperature of binary fatty acid and its corresponding mixing proportion are calculated with phase diagram thermodynamic method. The results are verified by the experimental result of the heat absorption curve and the Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analysis curve. The results show that the calculation method of phase diagram thermodynamic calculation can be taken as a basis for mixing proportion of binary fatty acid phase change materials. In addition, the decanoic-dodecanoic acid/diatomite composite phase change material (PCM) are prepared and its microstructure, thermal property and thermal reliability are characterized. The result shows that the decanoic-dodecanoic acid is uniformly adsorbed into diatomite and the form-stable PCM are formed. The phase-transition temperature and the latent heat of the decanoic-dodecanoic acid/diatomite composite PCMs is 16.74 o C and 66.8114 J/g, respectively.

  1. A new method for measuring the thermal regulatory properties of phase change material (PCM) fabrics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan, X; Fan, J

    2009-01-01

    Several methods already exist for the measurement of the thermal regulatory properties of fabrics containing phase change materials (PCMs). However, they do not adequately simulate the actual use condition; consequently the measurements may not have relevance to the performance of PCM fabrics in actual use. Here we report on the development of a new method, which better simulates the real use situation. In this method, a hot plate, simulating the human body, generates a constant amount of heat depending on the type of human activity to be simulated. The hot plate covered by the PCM fabric is then exposed to a thermal transient simulating a wearer moving from one thermal environment to another; the changes of surface temperature and heat loss of the hot plate are then recorded and used to characterize the thermal regulatory properties of the PCM fabrics

  2. Electrical transport in crystalline phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woda, Michael

    2012-01-01

    In this thesis, the electrical transport properties of crystalline phase change materials are discussed. Phase change materials (PCM) are a special class of semiconducting and metallic thin film alloys, typically with a high amount of the group five element antimony or the group six element tellurium, such as Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 . The unique property portfolio of this material class makes it suitable for memory applications. PCMs reveal fast switching between two stable room-temperature phases (amorphous and crystalline) realized by optical laser or electrical current pulses in memory devices. Additionally, a pronounced property contrast in form of optical reflectivity and electrical conductivity between the amorphous and crystalline phase is the characteristic fingerprint of PCMs. The emerging electrical solid state memory PCRAM is a very promising candidate to replace Flash memory in the near future or to even become a universal memory, which is non-volatile and shows the speed and cyclability of DRAM. One of the main technological challenges is the switching process into the amorphous state, which is the most power demanding step. In order to reduce the switching power, the crystalline resistivity needs to be increased at a given voltage. Thus understanding and tayloring of this property is mandatory. In this work, first the technological relevance, i.e. optical and electrical memory concepts based on PCMs are introduced. Subsequently a description of the physical properties of PCMs in four categories is given. Namely, structure, kinetics, optical properties and electrical properties are discussed. Then important recent developments such as the identification of resonant bonding in crystalline PCMs and a property predicting coordination scheme are briefly reviewed. The following chapter deals with the theoretical background of electrical transport, while the next chapter introduces the experimental techniques: Sputtering, XRR, XRD, DSC, thermal annealing

  3. Effect of microencapsulated phase change materials on the thermo-mechanical properties of poly(methyl-methacrylate) based biomaterials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Santis, Roberto; Ambrogi, Veronica; Carfagna, Cosimo; Ambrosio, Luigi; Nicolais, Luigi

    2006-12-01

    Microencapsulated paraffin based phase change material (PCM) have been incorporated into Poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix in order to enhance the thermo-mechanical properties. Calorimetric and mechanical analyses are carried out and the thermo regulating potential of PMMA/PCM composites is investigated. Results indicate that the PCM phase has a negligible effect on the glass transition temperature of the PMMA matrix, and the thermal regulating capability spans around body temperature absorbing or releasing a thermal energy up to 30 J/g. One of the effect of the PCM phase into the cement is the reduction of the peak temperature developed during the exothermal reaction.

  4. From phase-change materials to thermoelectrics?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schneider, Matthias N.; Rosenthal, Tobias; Oeckler, Oliver [Dept. of Chemistry, Ludwig Maximilian Univ. Munich (Germany); Stiewe, Christian [German Aerospace Center, Cologne (Germany)

    2010-07-01

    Metastable tellurides play an important role as phase-change materials in data storage media and non-volatile RAM devices. The corresponding crystalline phases with very simple basic structures are not stable as bulk materials at ambient conditions, however, for a broad range of compositions they represent stable high-temperature phases. In the system Ge/Sb/Te, rocksalt-type high-temperature phases are characterized by a large number of vacancies randomly distributed over the cation position, which order as 2D vacancy layers upon cooling. Short-range order in quenched samples produces pronounced nanostructures by the formation of twin domains and finite intersecting vacancy layers. As phase-change materials are usually semimetals or small-bandgap semiconductors and efficient data storage requires low thermal conductivity, bulk materials with similar compositions and properties can be expected to exhibit promising thermoelectric characteristics. Nanostructuring by phase transitions that involve partial vacancy ordering may enhance the efficiency of such thermoelectrics. We have shown that germanium antimony tellurides with compositions close to those used as phase-change materials in rewritable Blu-Ray Discs, e.g. (GeTe){sub 12}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3}, exhibit thermoelectric figures of merit of up to ZT = 1.3 at 450 C if a nanodomain structure is induced by rapidly quenching the cubic high-temperature phase. Structural changes have been elucidated by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy. (orig.)

  5. New graphite/salt materials for high temperature energy storage. Phase change properties study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez, J.

    2007-07-01

    This work is a contribution to the study of new graphite/salt composites dedicated to high temperature energy storage (≥200 C). The aim is to analyse and to understand the influence of both graphite and composite microstructure on the phase change properties of salts. This PhD is carried out within the framework of two projects: DISTOR (European) and HTPSTOCK (French). The major contributions of this work are threefold: 1) An important database (solid-liquid phase change properties) is provided from the DSC analysis of six salts and the corresponding composites. 2) Rigorous modeling of salts melting in confined media in several geometries are proposed to understand why, during the first melting of the compression elaborated composites, problems of salt leakage are observed. These models show that the materials morphology is responsible for these phenomena: the graphite matrix restrains the volume expansion due to salt melting: salt melts under pressure, which leads to a melting on a large temperature range and to a loss of energy density. Sensitivity analysis of parameters (geometric and physic) shows that matrix rigidity modulus is the parameter on which it is necessary to act during the composites elaboration to blur this phenomenon. 3) Finally, this work proposes a thermodynamic formulation of both surface/interface phenomena and the presence of dissolved impurities being able to explain a melting point lowering. It seems that the melting point lowering observed (∼ 5 C) are mainly due to the presence of dissolved impurities (brought by graphite) in the liquid, along with an additional Gibbs-Thomson effect (∼ 1 C, related to the size of the clusters crystals). (author)

  6. Influence of Microencapsulated Phase Change Material (PCM) Addition on (Micro) Mechanical Properties of Cement Paste

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlangen, Erik

    2017-01-01

    Excessive cracking can be a serious durability problem for reinforced concrete structures. In recent years, addition of microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) to concrete has been proposed as a possible solution to crack formation related to temperature gradients. However, the addition of PCM microcapsules to cementitious materials can have some drawbacks, mainly related to strength reduction. In this work, a range of experimental techniques has been used to characterize the microcapsules and their effect on properties of composite cement pastes. On the capsule level, it was shown that they are spherical, enabling good distribution in the material during the mixing process. Force needed to break the microcapsules was shown to depend on the capsule diameter and the temperature, i.e., whether it is below or above the phase change temperature. On the cement paste level, a marked drop of compressive strength with increasing PCM inclusion level was observed. The indentation modulus has also shown to decrease, probably due to the capsules themselves, and to a lesser extent due to changes in porosity caused by their inclusion. Finally, a novel micro-cube splitting technique was used to characterize the tensile strength of the material on the micro-meter length scale. It was shown that the strength decreases with increasing PCM inclusion percentage, but this is accompanied by a decrease in measurement variability. This study will contribute to future developments of cementitious composites incorporating phase change materials for a variety of applications. PMID:28773225

  7. Competing covalent and ionic bonding in Ge-Sb-Te phase change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukhopadhyay, Saikat; Sun, Jifeng; Subedi, Alaska; Siegrist, Theo; Singh, David J

    2016-05-19

    Ge2Sb2Te5 and related phase change materials are highly unusual in that they can be readily transformed between amorphous and crystalline states using very fast melt, quench, anneal cycles, although the resulting states are extremely long lived at ambient temperature. These states have remarkably different physical properties including very different optical constants in the visible in strong contrast to common glass formers such as silicates or phosphates. This behavior has been described in terms of resonant bonding, but puzzles remain, particularly regarding different physical properties of crystalline and amorphous phases. Here we show that there is a strong competition between ionic and covalent bonding in cubic phase providing a link between the chemical basis of phase change memory property and origins of giant responses of piezoelectric materials (PbTiO3, BiFeO3). This has important consequences for dynamical behavior in particular leading to a simultaneous hardening of acoustic modes and softening of high frequency optic modes in crystalline phase relative to amorphous. This different bonding in amorphous and crystalline phases provides a direct explanation for different physical properties and understanding of the combination of long time stability and rapid switching and may be useful in finding new phase change compositions with superior properties.

  8. Electrical transport in crystalline phase change materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Woda, Michael

    2012-01-06

    In this thesis, the electrical transport properties of crystalline phase change materials are discussed. Phase change materials (PCM) are a special class of semiconducting and metallic thin film alloys, typically with a high amount of the group five element antimony or the group six element tellurium, such as Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5}. The unique property portfolio of this material class makes it suitable for memory applications. PCMs reveal fast switching between two stable room-temperature phases (amorphous and crystalline) realized by optical laser or electrical current pulses in memory devices. Additionally, a pronounced property contrast in form of optical reflectivity and electrical conductivity between the amorphous and crystalline phase is the characteristic fingerprint of PCMs. The emerging electrical solid state memory PCRAM is a very promising candidate to replace Flash memory in the near future or to even become a universal memory, which is non-volatile and shows the speed and cyclability of DRAM. One of the main technological challenges is the switching process into the amorphous state, which is the most power demanding step. In order to reduce the switching power, the crystalline resistivity needs to be increased at a given voltage. Thus understanding and tayloring of this property is mandatory. In this work, first the technological relevance, i.e. optical and electrical memory concepts based on PCMs are introduced. Subsequently a description of the physical properties of PCMs in four categories is given. Namely, structure, kinetics, optical properties and electrical properties are discussed. Then important recent developments such as the identification of resonant bonding in crystalline PCMs and a property predicting coordination scheme are briefly reviewed. The following chapter deals with the theoretical background of electrical transport, while the next chapter introduces the experimental techniques: Sputtering, XRR, XRD, DSC, thermal annealing

  9. Irreversible altering of crystalline phase of phase-change Ge-Sb thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krusin-Elbaum, L.; Shakhvorostov, D.; Cabral, C. Jr.; Raoux, S.; Jordan-Sweet, J. L.

    2010-01-01

    The stability of the crystalline phase of binary phase-change Ge x Sb 1-x films is investigated over a wide range of Ge content. From Raman spectroscopy we find the Ge-Sb crystalline structure irreversibly altered after exposure to a laser beam. We show that with increasing beam intensity/temperature Ge agglomerates and precipitates out in the amount growing with x. A simple empirical relation links Ge precipitation temperature T Ge p to the rate of change dT cryst /dx of crystallization, with the precipitation easiest on the mid-range x plateau, where T cryst is nearly constant. Our findings point to a preferable 15% < or approx. x < 50% window, that may achieve the desired cycling/archival properties of a phase-change cell.

  10. SINGLE-PHASE AND TWO-PHASE SECONDARY COOLANTS: SIMULATION AND EVALUATION OF THEIR THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro Samuel Gomes Medeiros

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper makes a comparative analysis of the thermophysical properties of ice slurry with conventional single-phase secondary fluids used in thermal storage cooling systems. The ice slurry is a two-phase fluid consisting of water, antifreeze and ice crystals. It is a new technology that has shown great energy potential. In addition to transporting energy as a heat transfer fluid, it has thermal storage properties due to the presence of ice, storing coolness by latent heat of fusion. The single-phase fluids analyzed are water-NaCl and water-propylene glycol solutions, which also operate as carrier fluids in ice slurry. The presence of ice changes the thermophysical properties of aqueous solutions and a number of these properties were determined: density, thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity. Data were obtained by software simulation. The results show that the presence of 10% by weight of ice provides a significant increase in thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity, without causing changes in density. The rheological behavior of ice slurries, associated with its high viscosity, requires higher pumping power; however, this was not significant because higher thermal conductivity allows a lower mass flow rate without the use of larger pumps. Thus, the ice slurry ensures its high potential as a secondary fluid in thermal storage cooling systems, proving to be more efficient than single-phase secondary fluids.

  11. Thermal conductivity and latent heat thermal energy storage properties of LDPE/wax as a shape-stabilized composite phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trigui, Abdelwaheb; Karkri, Mustapha; Krupa, Igor

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • This study deals with the comparison of experimental results for different PCM composite to be used in passive solar walls. • This paper reports on the successful use of a specific experimental method in order to characterize the phase change effects. • The results have shown that most important thermal properties of these composites at the solid and liquid states. • Results indicate the thermal effectiveness of phase change material and significant amount of energy saving can be achieved. • Heat flux measurements are a very interesting experimental source of data which comes to complete the calorimetric device (DSC). - Abstract: Phase change material (PCM) composites based on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with paraffin waxes were investigated in this study. The composites were prepared using a meltmixing method with a Brabender-Plastograph. The LDPE as the supporting matrix kept the molten waxes in compact shape during its phase transition from solid to liquid. Immiscibility of the PCMs (waxes) and the supporting matrix (LDPE) is a necessary property for effective energy storage. Therefore, this type paraffin can be used in a latent heat storage system without encapsulation. The objective of this research is to use PCM composite as integrated components in a passive solar wall. The proposed composite TROMBE wall allows daily storage of the solar energy in a building envelope and restitution in the evening, with a possible control of the air flux in a ventilated air layer. An experimental set-up was built to determine the thermal response of these composites to thermal solicitations. In addition, a DSC analysis was carried out. The results have shown that most important thermal properties of these composites at the solid and liquid states, like the “apparent” thermal conductivity, the heat storage capacity and the latent heat of fusion. Results indicate the performance of the proposed system is affected by the thermal effectiveness of

  12. Similarity solutions for phase-change problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canright, D.; Davis, S. H.

    1989-01-01

    A modification of Ivantsov's (1947) similarity solutions is proposed which can describe phase-change processes which are limited by diffusion. The method has application to systems that have n-components and possess cross-diffusion and Soret and Dufour effects, along with convection driven by density discontinuities at the two-phase interface. Local thermal equilibrium is assumed at the interface. It is shown that analytic solutions are possible when the material properties are constant.

  13. Preparation and Thermal Properties of Eutectic Hydrate Salt Phase Change Thermal Energy Storage Material

    OpenAIRE

    Liang, Lin; Chen, Xi

    2018-01-01

    In this study, a new cold storage phase change material eutectic hydrate salt (K2HPO4·3H2O–NaH2PO4·2H2O–Na2S2O3·5H2O) was prepared, modified, and tested. The modification was performed by adding a nucleating agent and thickener. The physical properties such as viscosity, surface tension, cold storage characteristics, supercooling, and the stability during freeze-thaw cycles were studied. Results show that the use of nucleating agents, such as sodium tetraborate, sodium fluoride, and nanoparti...

  14. The Influence of Phase Change Materials on the Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Ángel Álvarez

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to research new thermally-efficient concrete walls, analyzing the mechanical behavior of a self-compacting concrete to manufacture an uncoated solid structural panel, with the incorporation of a micro-encapsulated phase change material as additive. Different dosages are tested and mechanical properties of the product obtained from the molding of concrete specimens are evaluated, testing mechanical compressive strength, slump flow, and density. The results reveal the optimum percentage of additive in the mixture that enables compliance with the technical specifications required by the product to be manufactured. A test is also performed for measuring the thermal conductivity for the optimal sample obtained and it evidences the reduction thereof.

  15. The Influence of Phase Change Materials on the Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fenollera, María; Míguez, José Luis; Goicoechea, Itziar; Lorenzo, Jaime; Ángel Álvarez, Miguel

    2013-08-15

    The aim of this paper is to research new thermally-efficient concrete walls, analyzing the mechanical behavior of a self-compacting concrete to manufacture an uncoated solid structural panel, with the incorporation of a micro-encapsulated phase change material as additive. Different dosages are tested and mechanical properties of the product obtained from the molding of concrete specimens are evaluated, testing mechanical compressive strength, slump flow, and density. The results reveal the optimum percentage of additive in the mixture that enables compliance with the technical specifications required by the product to be manufactured. A test is also performed for measuring the thermal conductivity for the optimal sample obtained and it evidences the reduction thereof.

  16. Temperature dependence of thermal properties of Ag8In14Sb55Te23 phase-change memory materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiao, Xinbing; Gan, Fuxi; Wei, Jingsong; Xiao, Mufei

    2009-01-01

    The dependence of thermal properties of Ag 8 In 14 Sb 55 Te 23 phase-change memory materials in crystalline and amorphous states on temperature was measured and analyzed. The results show that in the crystalline state, the thermal properties monotonically decrease with the temperature and present obvious crystalline semiconductor characteristics. The heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and thermal conductivity decrease from 0.35 J/gK, 1.85 mm 2 /s, and 4.0 W/mK at 300 K to 0.025 J/gK, 1.475 mm 2 /s, and 0.25 W/mK at 600 K, respectively. In the amorphous state, while the dependence of thermal properties on temperature does not present significant changes, the materials retain the glass-like thermal characteristics. Within the temperature range from 320 K to 440 K, the heat capacity fluctuates between 0.27 J/gK and 0.075 J/gK, the thermal diffusivity basically maintains at 0.525 mm 2 /s, and the thermal conductivity decreases from 1.02 W/mK at 320 K to 0.2 W/mK at 440 K. Whether in the crystalline or amorphous state, Ag 8 In 14 Sb 55 Te 23 are more thermally active than Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 , that is, the Ag 8 In 14 Sb 55 Te 23 composites bear stronger thermal conduction and diffusion than the Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 phase-change memory materials. (orig.)

  17. Crystallization kinetics of phase change materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klein, Michael; Sontheimer, Tobias; Wuttig, Matthias [I. Physikalisches Institut (1A), RWTH Aachen (Germany)

    2008-07-01

    Phase change materials are fascinating materials. They can be rapidly switched between two metastable states, the amorphous and crystalline phase, which show pronounced contrast in their optical and electrical properties. They are already widely used as the active layer in rewritable optical media and are expected to be used in the upcoming phase change random access memory (PRAM). Here we show measurements of the crystallization kinetics of chalcogenide materials that lead to a deeper understanding of these processes. This work focuses mainly on the Ge-Sb-Te system but also includes Ag-In-Te materials. The crystallization behaviour of these materials was investigated with an ex-situ annealing method employing the precise oven of a differential scanning calorimeter and imaging techniques employing atomic force microscopy and optical microscopy.

  18. Synthesis and nanoscale thermal encoding of phase-change nanowires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Xuhui; Yu Bin; Meyyappan, M.

    2007-01-01

    Low-dimensional phase-change nanostructures provide a valuable research platform for understanding the phase-transition behavior and thermal properties at nanoscale and their potential in achieving superdense data storage. Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 nanowires have been grown using a vapor-liquid-solid technique and shown to exhibit distinctive properties that may overcome the present data storage scaling barrier. Local heating of an individual nanowire with a focused electron beam was used to shape a nano-bar-code on a Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 nanowire. The data encoding on Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 nanowire may promote novel device concepts to implement ultrahigh density, low energy, high speed data storage using phase-change nanomaterials with diverse thermal-programing strategies

  19. Fabrication and Properties of Micro-Nanoencapsulated Phase Change Materials for Internally-Cooled Liquid Desiccant Dehumidification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaofeng Niu

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Micro-nanoencapsulated phase change materials (M-NEPCMs are proposed to be useful in liquid desiccant dehumidification by restraining the temperature rise in the moisture-removal process and improving the dehumidification efficiency. In this paper, the n-octadecane M-NEPCMs with desirable thermal properties for internally-cooled dehumidification were fabricated by using compound emulsifiers through the in-situ polymerization method. Melamine-formaldehyde resin was used as the shell material. The effects of the mixing ratio, emulsification methods and amount of the compound emulsifiers on the morphology, size and thermal properties of the M-NEPCMs were investigated experimentally. The optimum weight mixing ratio of the compound emulsifiers is SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate:Tween80 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate:Span80 (sorbitan monooleate = 0.1:0.6:0.3, which achieves the best stability of the n-octadecane emulsion. When the compound emulsifiers are 10 wt. % of the core material, the melting enthalpy of M-NEPCMs reaches its maximum of 145.26 J/g of capsules, with an encapsulation efficiency of 62.88% and a mean diameter of 636 nm. The sub-cooling of the prepared M-NEPCMs is lower than 3 °C, with an acceptable thermal reliability after the thermal cycling test. A pre-emulsification prior to the addition of deionized water in the emulsification is beneficial to the morphology of the capsules, as the phase change enthalpy can be increased by 123.7%.

  20. Fabrication and Properties of Micro-Nanoencapsulated Phase Change Materials for Internally-Cooled Liquid Desiccant Dehumidification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Xiaofeng; Xu, Qing; Zhang, Yi; Zhang, Yue; Yan, Yufeng; Liu, Tao

    2017-04-29

    Micro-nanoencapsulated phase change materials (M-NEPCMs) are proposed to be useful in liquid desiccant dehumidification by restraining the temperature rise in the moisture-removal process and improving the dehumidification efficiency. In this paper, the n -octadecane M-NEPCMs with desirable thermal properties for internally-cooled dehumidification were fabricated by using compound emulsifiers through the in-situ polymerization method. Melamine-formaldehyde resin was used as the shell material. The effects of the mixing ratio, emulsification methods and amount of the compound emulsifiers on the morphology, size and thermal properties of the M-NEPCMs were investigated experimentally. The optimum weight mixing ratio of the compound emulsifiers is SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate):Tween80 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate):Span80 (sorbitan monooleate) = 0.1:0.6:0.3, which achieves the best stability of the n -octadecane emulsion. When the compound emulsifiers are 10 wt. % of the core material, the melting enthalpy of M-NEPCMs reaches its maximum of 145.26 J/g of capsules, with an encapsulation efficiency of 62.88% and a mean diameter of 636 nm. The sub-cooling of the prepared M-NEPCMs is lower than 3 °C, with an acceptable thermal reliability after the thermal cycling test. A pre-emulsification prior to the addition of deionized water in the emulsification is beneficial to the morphology of the capsules, as the phase change enthalpy can be increased by 123.7%.

  1. Effect of tungsten on the phase-change properties of Ge8Sb2Te11 thin films for the phase-change device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Cheol-Jin; Kong, Heon; Lee, Hyun-Yong; Yeo, Jong-Bin

    2017-07-01

    In this study, the electrical, optical, and structural properties of tungsten (W)-doped Ge8Sb2Te11 thin films were investigated. Previously, GeSbTe alloys were doped with various materials in an attempt to improve the thermal stability. Ge8Sb2Te11 and W-doped Ge8Sb2Te11 films with a thickness of 200 nm were fabricated by using an RF magnetron reactive co-sputtering system at room temperature on Si ( p-type, 100) and glass substrate. The fabricated thin films were annealed in a furnace in the 0 - 400 ° C temperature range. The optical properties were analyzed using a UV-Vis-IR spectrophotometer, and by using Beer's Law equation, the optical-energy band gap ( E op ), slope B 1/2, and slope 1/ F were calculated. For the crystalline materials, an increase in the slope B 1/2 and 1/ F was observed, exhibiting a good effect on the thermal stability in the amorphous state after the phase change. The structural properties were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, and the result showed that the W-doped Ge8Sb2Te11 had a face-centered-cubic (fcc) crystalline structure increased crystallization temperature ( T c ). An increase in the T c increased the thermal stability in the amorphous state. The electrical properties were analyzed using a 4-point probe, exhibiting an increase in the sheet resistance ( R s ) in the amorphous and the crystalline states indicating a reduced programming current in the memory device.

  2. Subthreshold electrical transport in amorphous phase-change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gallo, Manuel Le; Kaes, Matthias; Sebastian, Abu; Krebs, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    Chalcogenide-based phase-change materials play a prominent role in information technology. In spite of decades of research, the details of electrical transport in these materials are still debated. In this article, we present a unified model based on multiple-trapping transport together with 3D Poole–Frenkel emission from a two-center Coulomb potential. With this model, we are able to explain electrical transport both in as-deposited phase-change material thin films, similar to experimental conditions in early work dating back to the 1970s, and in melt-quenched phase-change materials in nanometer-scale phase-change memory devices typically used in recent studies. Experimental measurements on two widely different device platforms show remarkable agreement with the proposed mechanism over a wide range of temperatures and electric fields. In addition, the proposed model is able to seamlessly capture the temporal evolution of the transport properties of the melt-quenched phase upon structural relaxation. (paper)

  3. Heat-transfer testing procedures in phase B shuttle studies with emphasis on phase change data improvement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Throckmorton, D. A.

    1972-01-01

    The procedures used in the application of the phase change technique to the phase B shuttle configuration are discussed along with factors which may affect data accuracy. These factors include variation of thermal properties of phase change model material, sensitivity of measured heat transfer coefficients to the assumed value of the adiabatic to total temperature ratio, and wall temperature effects. These sensitivities are illustrated in sample calculations for a shuttle geometry. Factors which may affect the visual clarity and interpretation of phase change data are discussed, and a method of improving photographic data quality through the use of polarized light is presented.

  4. State of the art on phase change material slurries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Youssef, Ziad; Delahaye, Anthony; Huang Li; Trinquet, François; Fournaison, Laurence; Pollerberg, Clemens; Doetsch, Christian

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► A bibliographic study on PCM slurries. ► Clathrate Hydrate slurry, Microencapsulated PCM Slurry, shape-stabilized PCM slurries and Phase Change Material Emulsions. ► Formation, thermo-physical, rheological, heat transfers properties and applications of these four PCS systems. ► The use of thermal energy storage and distribution based on PCM slurries can improve the refrigerating machine performances. - Abstract: The interest in using phase change slurry (PCS) media as thermal storage and heat transfer fluids is increasing and thus leading to an enhancement in the number of articles on the subject. In air-conditioning and refrigeration applications, PCS systems represent a pure benefit resulting in the increase of thermal energy storage capacity, high heat transfer characteristics and positive phase change temperatures which can occur under low pressures. Hence, they allow the increase of energy efficiency and reduce the quantity of thermal fluids. This review describes the formation, thermo-physical, rheological, heat transfer properties and applications of four PCS systems: Clathrate hydrate slurry (CHS), Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials Slurry (MPCMS), shape-stabilized PCM slurries (SPCMSs) and Phase Change Material Emulsions (PCMEs). It regroups a bibliographic summary of important information that can be very helpful when such systems are used. It also gives interesting and valuable insights on the choice of the most suitable PCS media for laboratory and industrial applications.

  5. Preparation and thermal energy storage properties of paraffin/calcined diatomite composites as form-stable phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Zhiming; Zhang, Yuzhong; Zheng, Shuilin; Park, Yuri; Frost, Ray L.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Composite phase change material (PCM) was prepared by blending composite paraffin and calcined diatomite. ► The optimum mixed proportion was obtained through differential scanning calorimetry. ► Thermal energy storage properties of the composite PCMs were determined by DSC. ► Thermal cycling test showed that the prepared PCMs are thermally reliable and chemically stable. - Abstract: A composite paraffin-based phase change material (PCM) was prepared by blending composite paraffin and calcined diatomite through the fusion adsorption method. In this study, raw diatomite was purified by thermal treatment in order to improve the adsorption capacity of diatomite, which acted as a carrier material to prepare shape-stabilized PCMs. Two forms of paraffin (paraffin waxes and liquid paraffin) with different melting points were blended together by the fusion method, and the optimum mixed proportion with a suitable phase-transition temperature was obtained through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Then the prepared composite paraffin was adsorbed in calcined diatomite. The prepared paraffin/calcined diatomite composites were characterized by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR) analysis techniques. Thermal energy storage properties of the composite PCMs were determined by DSC method. DSC results showed that there was an optimum adsorption ratio between composite paraffin and calcined diatomite and the phase-transition temperature and the latent heat of the composite PCMs were 33.04 °C and 89.54 J/g, respectively. Thermal cycling test of composite PCMs showed that the prepared material is thermally reliable and chemically stable. The obtained paraffin/calcined diatomite composites have proper latent heat and melting temperatures, and show practical significance and good potential application value

  6. Preparation and thermal energy storage properties of paraffin/calcined diatomite composites as form-stable phase change materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Zhiming [School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 100083 (China); Chemistry Discipline, Faculty of Science and Technology, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, Queensland 4001 (Australia); Zhang, Yuzhong [School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 100083 (China); Zheng, Shuilin, E-mail: shuilinzh@yahoo.com.cn [School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 100083 (China); Park, Yuri [Chemistry Discipline, Faculty of Science and Technology, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, Queensland 4001 (Australia); Frost, Ray L., E-mail: r.frost@qut.edu.au [Chemistry Discipline, Faculty of Science and Technology, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, Queensland 4001 (Australia)

    2013-04-20

    Highlights: ► Composite phase change material (PCM) was prepared by blending composite paraffin and calcined diatomite. ► The optimum mixed proportion was obtained through differential scanning calorimetry. ► Thermal energy storage properties of the composite PCMs were determined by DSC. ► Thermal cycling test showed that the prepared PCMs are thermally reliable and chemically stable. - Abstract: A composite paraffin-based phase change material (PCM) was prepared by blending composite paraffin and calcined diatomite through the fusion adsorption method. In this study, raw diatomite was purified by thermal treatment in order to improve the adsorption capacity of diatomite, which acted as a carrier material to prepare shape-stabilized PCMs. Two forms of paraffin (paraffin waxes and liquid paraffin) with different melting points were blended together by the fusion method, and the optimum mixed proportion with a suitable phase-transition temperature was obtained through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Then the prepared composite paraffin was adsorbed in calcined diatomite. The prepared paraffin/calcined diatomite composites were characterized by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR) analysis techniques. Thermal energy storage properties of the composite PCMs were determined by DSC method. DSC results showed that there was an optimum adsorption ratio between composite paraffin and calcined diatomite and the phase-transition temperature and the latent heat of the composite PCMs were 33.04 °C and 89.54 J/g, respectively. Thermal cycling test of composite PCMs showed that the prepared material is thermally reliable and chemically stable. The obtained paraffin/calcined diatomite composites have proper latent heat and melting temperatures, and show practical significance and good potential application value.

  7. Investigation of phase-change coatings for variable thermal control of spacecraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelliher, W. C.; Young, P. R.

    1972-01-01

    An investigation was conducted to determine the feasibility of producing a spacecraft coating system that could vary the ratio of its solar absorptance to thermal emittance to adjust automatically for changes in the thermal balance of a spacecraft. This study resulted in a new concept called the phase-change effect which uses the change that occurs in the optical properties of many materials during the phase transition from a crystalline solid to an amorphous material. A series of two-component model coatings was developed which, when placed on a highly reflecting substrate, exhibited a sharp decrease in solar absorptance within a narrow temperature range. A variable thermal control coating can have a significant amount of temperature regulation with the phase-change effect. Data are presented on several crystallite-polymer formulations, their physical and optical properties, and associated phase-change temperatures. Aspects pertaining to their use in a space environment and an example of the degree of thermal regulation attainable with these coatings is also given.

  8. Design rules for phase-change materials in data storage applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lencer, Dominic; Salinga, Martin [I. Physikalisches Institut IA, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen (Germany); Wuttig, Matthias [I. Physikalisches Institut IA, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen (Germany); Juelich-Aachen Research Alliance, Section Fundamentals of Future Information Technology (JARA-FIT), 52056 Aachen (Germany)

    2011-05-10

    Phase-change materials can rapidly and reversibly be switched between an amorphous and a crystalline phase. Since both phases are characterized by very different optical and electrical properties, these materials can be employed for rewritable optical and electrical data storage. Hence, there are considerable efforts to identify suitable materials, and to optimize them with respect to specific applications. Design rules that can explain why the materials identified so far enable phase-change based devices would hence be very beneficial. This article describes materials that have been successfully employed and discusses common features regarding both typical structures and bonding mechanisms. It is shown that typical structural motifs and electronic properties can be found in the crystalline state that are indicative for resonant bonding, from which the employed contrast originates. The occurence of resonance is linked to the composition, thus providing a design rule for phase-change materials. This understanding helps to unravel characteristic properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity which are discussed in the subsequent section. Then, turning to the transition kinetics between the phases, the current understanding and modeling of the processes of amorphization and crystallization are discussed. Finally, present approaches for improved high-capacity optical discs and fast non-volatile electrical memories, that hold the potential to succeed present-day's Flash memory, are presented. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  9. Design rules for phase-change materials in data storage applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lencer, Dominic; Salinga, Martin; Wuttig, Matthias

    2011-05-10

    Phase-change materials can rapidly and reversibly be switched between an amorphous and a crystalline phase. Since both phases are characterized by very different optical and electrical properties, these materials can be employed for rewritable optical and electrical data storage. Hence, there are considerable efforts to identify suitable materials, and to optimize them with respect to specific applications. Design rules that can explain why the materials identified so far enable phase-change based devices would hence be very beneficial. This article describes materials that have been successfully employed and dicusses common features regarding both typical structures and bonding mechanisms. It is shown that typical structural motifs and electronic properties can be found in the crystalline state that are indicative for resonant bonding, from which the employed contrast originates. The occurence of resonance is linked to the composition, thus providing a design rule for phase-change materials. This understanding helps to unravel characteristic properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity which are discussed in the subsequent section. Then, turning to the transition kinetics between the phases, the current understanding and modeling of the processes of amorphization and crystallization are discussed. Finally, present approaches for improved high-capacity optical discs and fast non-volatile electrical memories, that hold the potential to succeed present-day's Flash memory, are presented. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Young's modulus and residual stress of GeSbTe phase-change thin films

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nazeer, H.; Bhaskaran, Harish; Woldering, L.A.; Abelmann, Leon

    2015-01-01

    The mechanical properties of phase change materials alter when the phase is transformed. In this paper, we report on experiments that determine the change in crucial parameters such as Young's modulus and residual stress for two of the most widely employed compositions of phase change films,

  11. Graphene Aerogel Templated Fabrication of Phase Change Microspheres as Thermal Buffers in Microelectronic Devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xuchun; Li, Guangyong; Hong, Guo; Guo, Qiang; Zhang, Xuetong

    2017-11-29

    Phase change materials, changing from solid to liquid and vice versa, are capable of storing and releasing a large amount of thermal energy during the phase change, and thus hold promise for numerous applications including thermal protection of electronic devices. Shaping these materials into microspheres for additional fascinating properties is efficient but challenging. In this regard, a novel phase change microsphere with the design for electrical-regulation and thermal storage/release properties was fabricated via the combination of monodispersed graphene aerogel microsphere (GAM) and phase change paraffin. A programmable method, i.e., coupling ink jetting-liquid marbling-supercritical drying (ILS) techniques, was demonstrated to produce monodispersed graphene aerogel microspheres (GAMs) with precise size-control. The resulting GAMs showed ultralow density, low electrical resistance, and high specific surface area with only ca. 5% diameter variation coefficient, and exhibited promising performance in smart switches. The phase change microspheres were obtained by capillary filling of phase change paraffin inside the GAMs and exhibited excellent properties, such as low electrical resistance, high latent heat, well sphericity, and thermal buffering. Assembling the phase change microsphere into the microcircuit, we found that this tiny device was quite sensitive and could respond to heat as low as 0.027 J.

  12. Microstructure characterization of multi-phase composites and utilization of phase change materials and recycled rubbers in cementitious materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meshgin, Pania

    2011-12-01

    This research focuses on two important subjects: (1) Characterization of heterogeneous microstructure of multi-phase composites and the effect of microstructural features on effective properties of the material. (2) Utilizations of phase change materials and recycled rubber particles from waste tires to improve thermal properties of insulation materials used in building envelopes. Spatial pattern of multi-phase and multidimensional internal structures of most composite materials are highly random. Quantitative description of the spatial distribution should be developed based on proper statistical models, which characterize the morphological features. For a composite material with multi-phases, the volume fraction of the phases as well as the morphological parameters of the phases have very strong influences on the effective property of the composite. These morphological parameters depend on the microstructure of each phase. This study intends to include the effect of higher order morphological details of the microstructure in the composite models. The higher order statistics, called two-point correlation functions characterize various behaviors of the composite at any two points in a stochastic field. Specifically, correlation functions of mosaic patterns are used in the study for characterizing transport properties of composite materials. One of the most effective methods to improve energy efficiency of buildings is to enhance thermal properties of insulation materials. The idea of using phase change materials and recycled rubber particles such as scrap tires in insulation materials for building envelopes has been studied.

  13. Solid-solid phase change thermal storage application to space-suit battery pack

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son, Chang H.; Morehouse, Jeffrey H.

    1989-01-01

    High cell temperatures are seen as the primary safety problem in the Li-BCX space battery. The exothermic heat from the chemical reactions could raise the temperature of the lithium electrode above the melting temperature. Also, high temperature causes the cell efficiency to decrease. Solid-solid phase-change materials were used as a thermal storage medium to lower this battery cell temperature by utilizing their phase-change (latent heat storage) characteristics. Solid-solid phase-change materials focused on in this study are neopentyl glycol and pentaglycerine. Because of their favorable phase-change characteristics, these materials appear appropriate for space-suit battery pack use. The results of testing various materials are reported as thermophysical property values, and the space-suit battery operating temperature is discussed in terms of these property results.

  14. A design handbook for phase change thermal control and energy storage devices. [selected paraffins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humphries, W. R.; Griggs, E. I.

    1977-01-01

    Comprehensive survey is given of the thermal aspects of phase change material devices. Fundamental mechanisms of heat transfer within the phase change device are discussed. Performance in zero-g and one-g fields are examined as it relates to such a device. Computer models for phase change materials, with metal fillers, undergoing conductive and convective processes are detailed. Using these models, extensive parametric data are presented for a hypothetical configuration with a rectangular phase change housing, using straight fins as the filler, and paraffin as the phase change material. These data are generated over a range of realistic sizes, material properties, and thermal boundary conditions. A number of illustrative examples are given to demonstrate use of the parametric data. Also, a complete listing of phase change material property data are reproduced herein as an aid to the reader.

  15. Preparation and characterization of a novel polymeric based solid-solid phase change heat storage material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xi Peng; Gu Xiaohua; Cheng Bowen; Wang Yufei

    2009-01-01

    Here we reported a two-step procedure for preparing a novel polymeric based solid-solid phase change heat storage material. Firstly, a copolymer monomer containing a polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (MPEG) phase change unit and a vinyl unit was synthesized via the modification of hydrogen group of MPEG. Secondly, by copolymerization of the copolymer monomer and phenyl ethylene, a novel polymeric based solid-solid phase change heat storage material was prepared. The composition, structure and properties of the novel polymeric based solid-solid phase change material were characterized by IR, 1 H NMR, DSC, WAXD, and POM, respectively. The results show that the novel polymeric based solid-solid phase change material possesses of excellent crystal properties and high phase change enthalpy.

  16. Understanding Phase-Change Memory Alloys from a Chemical Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolobov, A. V.; Fons, P.; Tominaga, J.

    2015-09-01

    Phase-change memories (PCM) are associated with reversible ultra-fast low-energy crystal-to-amorphous switching in GeTe-based alloys co-existing with the high stability of the two phases at ambient temperature, a unique property that has been recently explained by the high fragility of the glass-forming liquid phase, where the activation barrier for crystallisation drastically increases as the temperature decreases from the glass-transition to room temperature. At the same time the atomistic dynamics of the phase-change process and the associated changes in the nature of bonding have remained unknown. In this work we demonstrate that key to this behavior is the formation of transient three-center bonds in the excited state that is enabled due to the presence of lone-pair electrons. Our findings additionally reveal previously ignored fundamental similarities between the mechanisms of reversible photoinduced structural changes in chalcogenide glasses and phase-change alloys and offer new insights into the development of efficient PCM materials.

  17. Effects of stoichiometry on the transport properties of crystalline phase-change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wei; Wuttig, Matthias; Mazzarello, Riccardo

    2015-09-03

    It has recently been shown that a metal-insulator transition due to disorder occurs in the crystalline state of the GeSb2Te4 phase-change compound. The transition is triggered by the ordering of the vacancies upon thermal annealing. In this work, we investigate the localization properties of the electronic states in selected crystalline (GeTe)x-(Sb2Te3)y compounds with varying GeTe content by large-scale density functional theory simulations. In our models, we also include excess vacancies, which are needed to account for the large carrier concentrations determined experimentally. We show that the models containing a high concentration of stoichiometric vacancies possess states at the Fermi energy localized inside vacancy clusters, as occurs for GeSb2Te4. On the other hand, the GeTe-rich models display metallic behavior, which stems from two facts: a) the tail of localized states shrinks due to the low probability of having sizable vacancy clusters, b) the excess vacancies shift the Fermi energy to the region of extended states. Hence, a stoichiometry-controlled metal-insulator transition occurs. In addition, we show that the localization properties obtained by scalar-relativistic calculations with gradient-corrected functionals are unaffected by the inclusion of spin-orbit coupling or the use of hybrid functionals.

  18. Confined-Volume Effect on the Thermal Properties of Encapsulated Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Castro, Paula F; Ahmed, Adham; Shchukin, Dmitry G

    2016-03-18

    We have encapsulated the heat exchange material, n-docosane, into polyurethane capsules of different sizes. Decreasing the size of the capsules leads to changes of the crystallinity of phase-change material as well as melting/crystallization temperature. The novelty of the paper includes 1) protection of the nanostructured energy-enriched materials against environment during storage and controlled release of the encapsulated energy on demand and 2) study of the structure and surface-to-volume properties of the energy-enriched materials dispersed in capsules of different sizes. The stability of energy nanomaterials, influence of capsule diameter on their energy capacity, homogeneity and operation lifetime are investigated. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Effect of tungsten on the phase-change properties of Ge_8Sb_2Te_1_1 Thin Films for the Phase-change device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Cheol-Jin; Kong, Heon; Lee, Hyun-Yong; Yeo, Jong-Bin

    2017-01-01

    In this study, the electrical, optical, and structural properties of tungsten (W)-doped Ge_8Sb_2Te_1_1 thin films were investigated. Previously, GeSbTe alloys were doped with various materials in an attempt to improve the thermal stability. Ge_8Sb_2Te_1_1 and W-doped Ge_8Sb_2Te_1_1 films with a thickness of 200 nm were fabricated by using an RF magnetron reactive co-sputtering system at room temperature on Si (p-type, 100) and glass substrate. The fabricated thin films were annealed in a furnace in the ∼ 0 - 400 ℃ temperature range. The optical properties were analyzed using a UV-Vis-IR spectrophotometer, and by using Beer’s Law equation, the optical-energy band gap (E_o_p), slope B"1"/"2, and slope 1/F were calculated. For the crystalline materials, an increase in the slope B"1"/"2 and 1/F was observed, exhibiting a good effect on the thermal stability in the amorphous state after the phase change. The structural properties were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, and the result showed that the W-doped Ge_8Sb_2Te_1_1 had a face-centered-cubic (fcc) crystalline structure increased crystallization temperature (T_c). An increase in the T_c increased the thermal stability in the amorphous state. The electrical properties were analyzed using a 4-point probe, exhibiting an increase in the sheet resistance (R_s) in the amorphous and the crystalline states indicating a reduced programming current in the memory device.

  20. Preparation, characterization and thermal properties of binary nitrate salts/expanded graphite as composite phase change material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xiao, Junbing [School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, 510006 Guangzhou (China); Huang, Jin, E-mail: huangjiner@126.com [School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, 510006 Guangzhou (China); Zhu, Panpan; Wang, Changhong [School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, 510006 Guangzhou (China); Li, Xinxi [School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, 510006 Guangzhou (China); Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing (China)

    2014-07-01

    Highlights: • The expanded graphite enhanced thermal conductivity coefficient greatly. • The aqueous solution method adopting ultrasonic was utilized to disperse EG. • The combination of composite was physical without chemical reaction. • The reduction on total latent heat was slight after the adding EG. - Abstract: The binary nitrate salts/expanded graphite (EG) composite phase change material (PCM) were prepared via adding different mass rate of EG to binary nitrate salts consisting of NaNO{sub 3} and KNO{sub 3} (6:4) by aqueous solution method adopting ultrasonic. The morphology and chemical composition of EG and the composite PCM were characterized and investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scan electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. Laser thermal conductivity instrument and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) were employed to measure thermo physical properties. Drawing the conclusion from investigation, that EG had enhanced thermal conductivity coefficient which largely increased to 4.884 W/(m K) and reduced total latent heat by mostly 11.0%. The morphology and phase structure results indicated that EG were well dispersed into and physically combined with molten salts. In general, the prepared composite PCM could be a suitable phase change material for thermal energy storage.

  1. Preparation, characterization and thermal properties of binary nitrate salts/expanded graphite as composite phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao, Junbing; Huang, Jin; Zhu, Panpan; Wang, Changhong; Li, Xinxi

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The expanded graphite enhanced thermal conductivity coefficient greatly. • The aqueous solution method adopting ultrasonic was utilized to disperse EG. • The combination of composite was physical without chemical reaction. • The reduction on total latent heat was slight after the adding EG. - Abstract: The binary nitrate salts/expanded graphite (EG) composite phase change material (PCM) were prepared via adding different mass rate of EG to binary nitrate salts consisting of NaNO 3 and KNO 3 (6:4) by aqueous solution method adopting ultrasonic. The morphology and chemical composition of EG and the composite PCM were characterized and investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scan electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. Laser thermal conductivity instrument and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) were employed to measure thermo physical properties. Drawing the conclusion from investigation, that EG had enhanced thermal conductivity coefficient which largely increased to 4.884 W/(m K) and reduced total latent heat by mostly 11.0%. The morphology and phase structure results indicated that EG were well dispersed into and physically combined with molten salts. In general, the prepared composite PCM could be a suitable phase change material for thermal energy storage

  2. Fundamental incorporation of the density change during melting of a confined phase change material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández, Ernesto M.; Otero, José A.

    2018-02-01

    The modeling of thermal diffusion processes taking place in a phase change material presents a challenge when the dynamics of the phase transition is coupled to the mechanical properties of the container. Thermo-mechanical models have been developed by several authors, however, it will be shown that these models only explain the phase transition dynamics at low pressures when the density of each phase experiences negligible changes. In our proposal, a new energy-mass balance equation at the interface is derived and found to be a consequence of mass conservation. The density change experienced in each phase is predicted by the proposed formulation of the problem. Numerical and semi-analytical solutions to the proposed model are presented for an example on a high temperature phase change material. The solutions to the models presented by other authors are observed to be well-behaved close to the isobaric limit. However, compared to the results obtained from our model, the change in the fusion temperature, latent heat, and absolute pressure is found to be greatly overestimated by other proposals when the phase transition is studied close to the isochoric regime.

  3. The nitrogen doping effect on the properties of Ge-In-Sb-Te phase-change recording media investigated by blue-light laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yeh, T.-T.; Hsieh, T.-E.; Shieh, H.-P.D.

    2005-01-01

    This work investigates the thermal, optical and recrystallization properties as well as the microstructure of nitrogen-doped Ge-In-Sb-Te (GIST) phase-change material when irradiated by blue-light laser. The experimental results showed that nitrogen doping at the condition of N 2 /Ar sputtering gas flow ratio equals to 3% might enhance the recrystallization speed of GIST recording layer up to 1.5 times. However, the disk failed when too much nitrogen (N 2 /Ar ≥ 5.0%) was introduced. The data obtained by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and ellipsometry revealed changes of thermal and optical properties due to the nitrogen doping in GIST. When appropriate amount of nitrogen was added, the activation energy (E a ) of amorphous-crystalline phase transition of GIST decreased and the optical constants of amorphous and crystalline phases (except the k value of amorphous phase) gradually reduced with the increase of wavelength in the range of 600-750 nm. Modulation simulation based on the reflectively of doped GIST layers obtained from static test indicated that appropriate nitrogen doping benefited the signal characteristics of optical disks. Transmission electron microscopy observed numerous tiny precipitates uniformly distributed in the doped GIST layers. These were believed to be nitride particles generated by nitrogen doping that might offer the preferential sites for amorphous-crystalline phase transition so that the recrystallization speed was accelerated

  4. Quality criteria for phase change materials selection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vitorino, Nuno; Abrantes, João C.C.; Frade, Jorge R.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Selection criteria of phase change materials for representative applications. • Selection criteria based on reliable solutions for latent heat transfer. • Guidelines for the role of geometry and heat transfer mechanisms. • Performance maps based on PCM properties, operating conditions, size and time scales. - Abstract: Selection guidelines are primary criterion for optimization of materials for specific applications in order to meet simultaneous and often conflicting requirements. This is mostly true for technologies and products required to meet the main societal needs, such as energy. In this case, gaps between supply and demand require strategies for energy conversion and storage, including thermal storage mostly based on phase change materials. Latent heat storage is also very versatile for thermal management and thermal control by allowing high storage density within narrow temperature ranges without strict dependence between stored thermal energy and temperature. Thus, this work addressed the main issues of latent heat storage from a materials selection perspective, based on expected requirements of applications in thermal energy storage or thermal regulation. Representative solutions for the kinetics of latent heat charge/discharge were used to derive optimization guidelines for high energy density, high power, response time (from fast response to thermal inertia), etc. The corresponding property relations were presented in graphical forms for a wide variety of prospective phase change materials, and for wide ranges of operating conditions, and accounting for changes in geometry and mechanisms.

  5. Hybrid Perovskite Phase Transition and Its Ionic, Electrical and Optical Properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoque, Md Nadim Ferdous; Islam, Nazifah; Zhu, Kai; Fan, Zhaoyang

    2017-01-01

    Hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) under normal operation will reach a temperature above ~ 60 °C, across the tetragonal-cubic structural phase transition of methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3). Whether the structural phase transition could result in dramatic changes of ionic, electrical and optical properties that may further impact the PSC performances should be studied. Herein, we report a structural phase transition temperature of MAPbI3thin film at ~ 55 °C, but a striking contrast occurred at ~ 45 °C in the ionic and electrical properties of MAPbI3due to a change of the ion activation energy from 0.7 eV to 0.5 eV. The optical properties exhibited no sharp transition except for the steady increase of the bandgap with temperature. It was also observed that the activation energy for ionic migration steadily increased with increased grain sizes, and reduction of the grain boundary density reduced the ionic migration.

  6. Void fraction prediction in two-phase flows independent of the liquid phase density changes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nazemi, E.; Feghhi, S.A.H.; Roshani, G.H.

    2014-01-01

    Gamma-ray densitometry is a frequently used non-invasive method to determine void fraction in two-phase gas liquid pipe flows. Performance of flow meters using gamma-ray attenuation depends strongly on the fluid properties. Variations of the fluid properties such as density in situations where temperature and pressure fluctuate would cause significant errors in determination of the void fraction in two-phase flows. A conventional solution overcoming such an obstacle is periodical recalibration which is a difficult task. This paper presents a method based on dual modality densitometry using Artificial Neural Network (ANN), which offers the advantage of measuring the void fraction independent of the liquid phase changes. An experimental setup was implemented to generate the required input data for training the network. ANNs were trained on the registered counts of the transmission and scattering detectors in different liquid phase densities and void fractions. Void fractions were predicted by ANNs with mean relative error of less than 0.45% in density variations range of 0.735 up to 0.98 gcm −3 . Applying this method would improve the performance of two-phase flow meters and eliminates the necessity of periodical recalibration. - Highlights: • Void fraction was predicted independent of density changes. • Recorded counts of detectors/void fraction were used as inputs/output of ANN. • ANN eliminated necessity of recalibration in changeable density of two-phase flows

  7. Evaluation of regenerative phase change drywalls: low-energy building application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Darkwa, K. [Nottingham Trent Unv., Applied Energy and Environmental Engineering Unit, Nottingham (United Kingdom)

    1999-07-01

    An integrated phase change drywall system has been analytically evaluated for low-energy building applications. The mathematical model indicates that it is possible to attain higher levels of thermal performance and efficiency with lower values of transfer units (NTU). Even though the model does not take into account the variable nature of the thermophysical properties of phase change materials (PCMs), reasonable thermal performance is achievable. Experimental validation is therefore recommended. (Author)

  8. Phase field modeling of rapid crystallization in the phase-change material AIST

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabatabaei, Fatemeh; Boussinot, Guillaume; Spatschek, Robert; Brener, Efim A.; Apel, Markus

    2017-07-01

    We carry out phase field modeling as a continuum simulation technique in order to study rapid crystallization processes in the phase-change material AIST (Ag4In3Sb67Te26). In particular, we simulate the spatio-temporal evolution of the crystallization of a molten area of the phase-change material embedded in a layer stack. The simulation model is adapted to the experimental conditions used for recent measurements of crystallization rates by a laser pulse technique. Simulations are performed for substrate temperatures close to the melting temperature of AIST down to low temperatures when an amorphous state is involved. The design of the phase field model using the thin interface limit allows us to retrieve the two limiting regimes of interface controlled (low temperatures) and thermal transport controlled (high temperatures) dynamics. Our simulations show that, generically, the crystallization velocity presents a maximum in the intermediate regime where both the interface mobility and the thermal transport, through the molten area as well as through the layer stack, are important. Simulations reveal the complex interplay of all different contributions. This suggests that the maximum switching velocity depends not only on material properties but also on the precise design of the thin film structure into which the phase-change material is embedded.

  9. Recent Advances on Neuromorphic Systems Using Phase-Change Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lei; Lu, Shu-Ren; Wen, Jing

    2017-05-01

    Realization of brain-like computer has always been human's ultimate dream. Today, the possibility of having this dream come true has been significantly boosted due to the advent of several emerging non-volatile memory devices. Within these innovative technologies, phase-change memory device has been commonly regarded as the most promising candidate to imitate the biological brain, owing to its excellent scalability, fast switching speed, and low energy consumption. In this context, a detailed review concerning the physical principles of the neuromorphic circuit using phase-change materials as well as a comprehensive introduction of the currently available phase-change neuromorphic prototypes becomes imperative for scientists to continuously progress the technology of artificial neural networks. In this paper, we first present the biological mechanism of human brain, followed by a brief discussion about physical properties of phase-change materials that recently receive a widespread application on non-volatile memory field. We then survey recent research on different types of neuromorphic circuits using phase-change materials in terms of their respective geometrical architecture and physical schemes to reproduce the biological events of human brain, in particular for spike-time-dependent plasticity. The relevant virtues and limitations of these devices are also evaluated. Finally, the future prospect of the neuromorphic circuit based on phase-change technologies is envisioned.

  10. Recent Advances on Neuromorphic Systems Using Phase-Change Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lei; Lu, Shu-Ren; Wen, Jing

    2017-12-01

    Realization of brain-like computer has always been human's ultimate dream. Today, the possibility of having this dream come true has been significantly boosted due to the advent of several emerging non-volatile memory devices. Within these innovative technologies, phase-change memory device has been commonly regarded as the most promising candidate to imitate the biological brain, owing to its excellent scalability, fast switching speed, and low energy consumption. In this context, a detailed review concerning the physical principles of the neuromorphic circuit using phase-change materials as well as a comprehensive introduction of the currently available phase-change neuromorphic prototypes becomes imperative for scientists to continuously progress the technology of artificial neural networks. In this paper, we first present the biological mechanism of human brain, followed by a brief discussion about physical properties of phase-change materials that recently receive a widespread application on non-volatile memory field. We then survey recent research on different types of neuromorphic circuits using phase-change materials in terms of their respective geometrical architecture and physical schemes to reproduce the biological events of human brain, in particular for spike-time-dependent plasticity. The relevant virtues and limitations of these devices are also evaluated. Finally, the future prospect of the neuromorphic circuit based on phase-change technologies is envisioned.

  11. A novel phase-change cement composite for thermal energy storage: Fabrication, thermal and mechanical properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, He; Xing, Feng; Cui, Hong-Zhi; Chen, Da-Zhu; Ouyang, Xing; Xu, Su-Zhen; Wang, Jia-Xin; Huang, Yi-Tian; Zuo, Jian-Dong; Tang, Jiao-Ning

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A novel flaky graphite-doped phase-change microcapsule (FGD-MPCM) was prepared. • FGD-MPCM has substantial latent heat storage capacity (135.8 J/g). • FGD-MPCMs/cement composite is capable of reducing indoor temperature fluctuation. • Compressive strength of cement composite with 30% FGD-MPCMs can reach to 14.2 MPa. - Abstract: Facing upon the increasingly severe energy crisis, one of the key issues for reducing the building energy consumption is to pursue high-performance thermal energy storage technologies based on phase-change materials. In this study, a novel cement composite incorporated with flaky graphite-doped microencapsulated phase-change materials (FGD-MPCMs) was developed. Various techniques, such as field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), optical microscopy (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to analyse the composite structure and thermal performances. The results indicate that the spherical microcapsules are well dispersed in the cement matrix. When combined within the cement, the thermal stability of the microcapsules was highly improved, and the inclusion of greater amounts of FGD-MPCMs further increased the latent heat of the composite. The mechanical properties of the cement composites were affected with the increase of FGD-MPCMs dosage and the porosity of the composites. In spite of this, the compressive strength and flexural strength of the cement composite with 30% FGD-MPCM could still reach to as high as 14.2 MPa and 4.1 MPa, respectively. Results from the infrared thermography and the model room test suggested that the composite filled with FGD-MPCMs is capable of reducing indoor temperature fluctuation and exhibits good potential for application in buildings to enhance energy savings and thermal comfort.

  12. An SPICE model for phase-change memory simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Xi; Song Zhitang; Cai Daolin; Chen Xiaogang; Chen Houpeng

    2011-01-01

    Along with a series of research works on the physical prototype and properties of the memory cell, an SPICE model for phase-change memory (PCM) simulations based on Verilog-A language is presented. By handling it with the heat distribution algorithm, threshold switching theory and the crystallization kinetic model, the proposed SPICE model can effectively reproduce the physical behaviors of the phase-change memory cell. In particular, it can emulate the cell's temperature curve and crystallinity profile during the programming process, which can enable us to clearly understand the PCM's working principle and program process. (semiconductor devices)

  13. An SPICE model for phase-change memory simulations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li Xi; Song Zhitang; Cai Daolin; Chen Xiaogang; Chen Houpeng, E-mail: ituluck@mail.sim.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Laboratory of Nanotechnology, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China)

    2011-09-15

    Along with a series of research works on the physical prototype and properties of the memory cell, an SPICE model for phase-change memory (PCM) simulations based on Verilog-A language is presented. By handling it with the heat distribution algorithm, threshold switching theory and the crystallization kinetic model, the proposed SPICE model can effectively reproduce the physical behaviors of the phase-change memory cell. In particular, it can emulate the cell's temperature curve and crystallinity profile during the programming process, which can enable us to clearly understand the PCM's working principle and program process. (semiconductor devices)

  14. Crystallization Kinetics of GeSbTe Phase-Change Nanoparticles Resolved by Ultrafast Calorimetry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chen, Bin; Brink, ten Gert; Palasantzas, Georgios; Kooi, Bart J.

    2017-01-01

    Although nanostructured phase-change materials (PCMs) are considered as the building blocks of next-generation phase-change memory and other emerging optoelectronic applications, the kinetics of the crystallization, the central property in switching, remains ambiguous in the high-temperature regime.

  15. Preparation and characterization of sepiolite-based phase change material nanocomposites for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konuklu, Yeliz; Ersoy, Orkun

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Sepiolite-based phase change material nanocomposites were prepared. • An easy direct impregnation process was used. • This paper is one of the first study about sepiolite-based phase change material nanocomposites. • Influence of PCM type on thermal properties of nanocomposites was reported. - Abstract: This paper is one of the first study about the preparation and characterization of sepiolite-based phase change material nanocomposites for thermal energy storage applications. Sepiolite is an important natural fibrous raw material. Nanoscale fibrous tubular structure of sepiolite becomes important in nanocomposite preparation. In this study, sepiolite/paraffin and sepiolite/decanoic acid nanocomposites were manufactured by the direct impregnation method. By the preparation of nanocomposites, PCM move in tubular channels of sepiolite, phase changing occurs in these tubes and surface area increases like as in microencapsulation. The structure and properties of nanocomposites PCMs (CPCM) have been characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The SEM results prove the successful preparation of phase change material/sepiolite nanocomposites and point out that the fibers of sepiolite is modified with phase change materials in the nanocomposite. The phase change enthalpies of melting and freezing were about 62.08 J/g and −62.05 J/g for sepiolite/paraffin nanocomposites and 35.69 J/g and −34.55 J/g for sepiolite/decanoic acid nanocomposites, respectively. The results show that PCM/sepiolite nanocomposites were prepared successfully and their properties are very suitable for thermal energy storage applications.

  16. Non-linear elastic thermal stress analysis with phase changes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amada, S.; Yang, W.H.

    1978-01-01

    The non-linear elastic, thermal stress analysis with temperature induced phase changes in the materials is presented. An infinite plate (or body) with a circular hole (or tunnel) is subjected to a thermal loading on its inner surface. The peak temperature around the hole reaches beyond the melting point of the material. The non-linear diffusion equation is solved numerically using the finite difference method. The material properties change rapidly at temperatures where the change of crystal structures and solid-liquid transition occur. The elastic stresses induced by the transient non-homogeneous temperature distribution are calculated. The stresses change remarkably when the phase changes occur and there are residual stresses remaining in the plate after one cycle of thermal loading. (Auth.)

  17. Changes in electrical transport and density of states of phase change materials upon resistance drift

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krebs, Daniel; Bachmann, Tobias; Jonnalagadda, Prasad; Dellmann, Laurent; Raoux, Simone

    2014-01-01

    Phase-change memory technology has become more mature in recent years. But some fundamental problems linked to the electrical transport properties in the amorphous phase of phase-change materials still need to be solved. The increase of resistance over time, called resistance drift, for example, poses a major challenge for the implementation of multilevel storage, which will eventually be necessary to remain competitive in terms of high storage densities. To link structural properties with electrical transport, a broader knowledge of (i) changes in the density of states (DoS) upon structural relaxation and (ii) the influence of defects on electrical transport is required. In this paper, we present temperature-dependent conductivity and photo-conductivity measurements on the archetype phase change material GeTe. It is shown that trap-limited band transport at high temperatures (above 165 K) and variable range hopping at low temperatures are the predominating transport mechanism. Based on measurements of the temperature dependence of the optical band gap, modulated photo-conductivity and photo-thermal deflection spectroscopy, a DoS model for GeTe was proposed. Using this DoS, the temperature dependence of conductivity and photo-conductivity has been simulated. Our work shows how changes in the DoS (band gap and defect distributions) will affect the electrical transport before and after temperature-accelerated drift. The decrease in conductivity upon annealing can be explained entirely by an increase of the band gap by about 12%. However, low-temperature photo-conductivity measurements revealed that a change in the defect density may also play a role

  18. Anomalous structural changes and elastic properties of bismuth oxide superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He, Y.S.; Xiang, J.; Chang, F.G.; Zhang, J.C.; He, A.S.; Wang, H.; Gu, B.L.

    1989-01-01

    Ultrasonic measurement revealed that there are anomalous structural changes near 200 K in single 2212 or 2223 phase samples of Bi(Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O. Detailed study showed such anomalous changes are isothermal-like processes and have a characteristics of second order phase transition, accompanying with increases in lattice constants. The elastic properties of these ceramics and related systems are discussed

  19. Examination of rapid phase change in copper wires to improve material models and understanding of burst

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olles, Joseph; Garasi, Christopher; Ball, J. Patrick

    2017-11-01

    Electrically-pulsed wires undergo multiple phase changes including a postulated metastable phase resulting in explosive wire growth. Simulations using the MHD approximation attempt to account for the governing physics, but lack the material properties (equations-of-state and electrical conductivity) to accurately predict the phase evolution of the exploding (bursting) wire. To explore the dynamics of an exploding copper wire (in water), we employ a digital micro-Schlieren streak photography technique. This imaging quantifies wire expansion and shock waves emitted from the wire during phase changes. Using differential voltage probes, a Rogowski coil, and timing fiducials, the phase change of the wire is aligned with electrical power and energy deposition. Time-correlated electrical diagnostics and imaging allow for detailed validation of MHD simulations, comparing observed phases with phase change details found in the material property descriptions. In addition to streak imaging, a long exposure image is taken to capture axial striations along the length of the wire. These images are used to compare with results from 3D MHD simulations which propose that these perturbations impact the rate of wire expansion and temporal change in phases. If successful, the experimental data will identify areas for improvement in the material property models, and modeling results will provide insight into the details of phase change in the wire with correlation to variations in the electrical signals.

  20. The effect warming time of mechanical properties and structural phase aluminum alloy nickel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Husna Al Hasa, M.; Anwar Muchsin

    2011-01-01

    Ferrous aluminum alloys as fuel cladding will experience the process of heat treatment above the recrystallization temperature. Temperature and time of heat treatment will affect the nature of the metal. Heating time allows will affect change in mechanical properties, thermal and structure of the metal phase. This study aims to determine the effect of time of heat treatment on mechanical properties and phase metal alloys. Testing the mechanical properties of materials, especially violence done by the method of Vickers. Observation of microstructural changes made by metallographic-optical and phase structure were analyzed Based on the x-ray diffraction patterns Elemental analysis phase alloy compounds made by EDS-SEM. Test results show the nature of violence AlFeNiMg alloy by heating at 500°C with a warm-up time 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours respectively decreased range 94.4 HV, 87.6 HV and 85.1 HV. The nature of violence AlFeNi alloy showed a decrease in line with the longer heating time. Metallographic-optical observations show the microstructural changes with increasing heating time. Microstructure shows the longer the heating time trend equi axial shaped grain structure of growing and the results showed a trend analyst diffraction pattern formation and phase θ α phase (FeAl3) in the alloy. (author)

  1. Novel Formulations of Phase Change Materials-Epoxy Composites for Thermal Energy Storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arce, Maria Elena; Alvarez Feijoo, Miguel Angel; Suarez Garcia, Andres; Luhrs, Claudia C

    2018-01-26

    This research aimed to evaluate the thermal properties of new formulations of phase change materials (PCMs)-epoxy composites, containing a thickening agent and a thermally conductive phase. The composite specimens produced consisted of composites fabricated using (a) inorganic PCMs (hydrated salts), epoxy resins and aluminum particulates or (b) organic PCM (paraffin), epoxy resins, and copper particles. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used to analyze the thermal behavior of the samples, while hardness measurements were used to determine changes in mechanical properties at diverse PCM and conductive phase loading values. The results indicate that the epoxy matrix can act as a container for the PCM phase without hindering the heat-absorbing behavior of the PCMs employed. Organic PCMs presented reversible phase transformations over multiple cycles, an advantage that was lacking in their inorganic counterparts. The enthalpy of the organic PCM-epoxy specimens increased linearly with the PCM content in the matrix. The use of thickening agents prevented phase segregation issues and allowed the fabrication of specimens containing up to 40% PCM, a loading significantly higher than others reported. The conductive phase seemed to improve the heat transfer and the mechanical properties of the composites when present in low percentages (material at the temperatures employed.

  2. Does nanoparticles dispersed in a phase change material improve melting characteristics?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Farsani, Rouhollah Yadollahi; Raisi, Afrasiab; Nadooshan, Afshin Ahmadi; Vanapalli, Srinivas

    2017-01-01

    Nanoparticles dispersed in a phase change material alter the thermo-physical properties of the base material, such as thermal conductivity, viscosity, and specific heat capacity. These properties combined with the configuration of the cavity, and the location of the heat source, influence the

  3. Enhanced thermal properties of novel shape-stabilized PEG composite phase change materials with radial mesoporous silica sphere for thermal energy storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Min, Xin; Fang, Minghao; Huang, Zhaohui; Liu, Yan'gai; Huang, Yaoting; Wen, Ruilong; Qian, Tingting; Wu, Xiaowen

    2015-08-11

    Radial mesoporous silica (RMS) sphere was tailor-made for further applications in producing shape-stabilized composite phase change materials (ss-CPCMs) through a facile self-assembly process using CTAB as the main template and TEOS as SiO2 precursor. Novel ss-CPCMs composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and RMS were prepared through vacuum impregnating method. Various techniques were employed to characterize the structural and thermal properties of the ss-CPCMs. The DSC results indicated that the PEG/RMS ss-CPCM was a promising candidate for building thermal energy storage applications due to its large latent heat, suitable phase change temperature, good thermal reliability, as well as the excellent chemical compatibility and thermal stability. Importantly, the possible formation mechanisms of both RMS sphere and PEG/RMS composite have also been proposed. The results also indicated that the properties of the PEG/RMS ss-CPCMs are influenced by the adsorption limitation of the PEG molecule from RMS sphere with mesoporous structure and the effect of RMS, as the impurities, on the perfect crystallization of PEG.

  4. Influence of the local structure in phase-change materials on their dielectric permittivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shportko, Kostiantyn V; Venger, Eugen F

    2015-01-01

    Ge-Sb-Te alloys, which belong to the phase-change materials, are promising materials for data storage and display and data visualization applications due to their unique properties. This includes a remarkable difference of their electrical and optical properties in the amorphous and crystalline state. Pronounced change of optical properties for Ge-Sb-Te alloys is linked to the different bonding types and different atomic arrangements in amorphous and crystalline states. The dielectric function of phase-change materials has been investigated in the far infrared (FIR) range. Phonons have been detected by FTIR spectroscopy. Difference of the dispersion of the dielectric permittivity of amorphous and crystalline samples is caused by different structures in different states which contribute to the dielectric permittivity.

  5. Novel Formulations of Phase Change Materials—Epoxy Composites for Thermal Energy Storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvarez Feijoo, Miguel Angel

    2018-01-01

    This research aimed to evaluate the thermal properties of new formulations of phase change materials (PCMs)-epoxy composites, containing a thickening agent and a thermally conductive phase. The composite specimens produced consisted of composites fabricated using (a) inorganic PCMs (hydrated salts), epoxy resins and aluminum particulates or (b) organic PCM (paraffin), epoxy resins, and copper particles. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used to analyze the thermal behavior of the samples, while hardness measurements were used to determine changes in mechanical properties at diverse PCM and conductive phase loading values. The results indicate that the epoxy matrix can act as a container for the PCM phase without hindering the heat-absorbing behavior of the PCMs employed. Organic PCMs presented reversible phase transformations over multiple cycles, an advantage that was lacking in their inorganic counterparts. The enthalpy of the organic PCM-epoxy specimens increased linearly with the PCM content in the matrix. The use of thickening agents prevented phase segregation issues and allowed the fabrication of specimens containing up to 40% PCM, a loading significantly higher than others reported. The conductive phase seemed to improve the heat transfer and the mechanical properties of the composites when present in low percentages (phase combination (PCM + epoxy resin + hardener + thickening agent) presents great potential as a heat-absorbing material at the temperatures employed. PMID:29373538

  6. Electrical properties and transport mechanisms in phase change memory thin films of quasi-binary-line GeTe–Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} chalcogenide semiconductors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sherchenkov, A. A. [National Research University of Electronic Technology (Russian Federation); Kozyukhin, S. A., E-mail: sergkoz@igic.ras.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry (Russian Federation); Lazarenko, P. I.; Babich, A. V. [National Research University of Electronic Technology (Russian Federation); Bogoslovskiy, N. A. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Ioffe Physical–Technical Institute (Russian Federation); Sagunova, I. V.; Redichev, E. N. [National Research University of Electronic Technology (Russian Federation)

    2017-02-15

    The temperature dependences of the resistivity and current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of phase change memory thin films based on quasi-binary-line GeTe–Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} chalcogenide semiconductors Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5}, GeSb{sub 2}Te{sub 5}, and GeSb{sub 4}Te{sub 7} are investigated. The effect of composition variation along the quasibinary line on the electrical properties and transport mechanisms of the thin films is studied. The existence of three ranges with different I–V characteristics is established. The position and concentration of energy levels controlling carrier transport are estimated. The results obtained show that the electrical properties of the thin films can significantly change during a shift along the quasi-binary line GeTe–Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3}, which is important for targeted optimization of the phase change memory technology.

  7. Effect of tungsten on the phase-change properties of Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 11} Thin Films for the Phase-change device

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Cheol-Jin; Kong, Heon; Lee, Hyun-Yong; Yeo, Jong-Bin [Chonnam National University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-07-15

    In this study, the electrical, optical, and structural properties of tungsten (W)-doped Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 11} thin films were investigated. Previously, GeSbTe alloys were doped with various materials in an attempt to improve the thermal stability. Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 11} and W-doped Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 11} films with a thickness of 200 nm were fabricated by using an RF magnetron reactive co-sputtering system at room temperature on Si (p-type, 100) and glass substrate. The fabricated thin films were annealed in a furnace in the ∼ 0 - 400 ℃ temperature range. The optical properties were analyzed using a UV-Vis-IR spectrophotometer, and by using Beer’s Law equation, the optical-energy band gap (E{sub op}), slope B{sup 1/2}, and slope 1/F were calculated. For the crystalline materials, an increase in the slope B{sup 1/2} and 1/F was observed, exhibiting a good effect on the thermal stability in the amorphous state after the phase change. The structural properties were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, and the result showed that the W-doped Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 11} had a face-centered-cubic (fcc) crystalline structure increased crystallization temperature (T{sub c}). An increase in the T{sub c} increased the thermal stability in the amorphous state. The electrical properties were analyzed using a 4-point probe, exhibiting an increase in the sheet resistance (R{sub s}) in the amorphous and the crystalline states indicating a reduced programming current in the memory device.

  8. First principles study of the optical contrast in phase change materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Caravati, S; Parrinello, M [Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, USI Campus, Via Giuseppe Buffi 13, 6900 Lugano (Switzerland); Bernasconi, M, E-mail: marco.bernasconi@mater.unimib.i [Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Via R Cozzi 53, I-20125, Milano (Italy)

    2010-08-11

    We study from first principles the optical properties of the phase change materials Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} (GST), GeTe and Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} in the crystalline phase and in realistic models of the amorphous phase generated by quenching from the melt in ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. The calculations reproduce the strong optical contrast between the crystalline and amorphous phases measured experimentally and exploited in optical data storage. It is demonstrated that the optical contrast is due to a change in the optical matrix elements across the phase change in all the compounds. It is concluded that the reduction of the optical matrix elements in the amorphous phases is due to angular disorder in p-bonding which dominates the amorphous network in agreement with previous proposals (Huang and Robertson 2010 Phys. Rev. B 81 081204) based on calculations on crystalline models.

  9. Transitional Phenomena on Phase Change Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wójcik Tadeusz M.

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available One of the most significant problem with technology development is transferring of large heat fluxes, which requires constant heat transfer temperature (in the specified temperature range. This problem concern mainly the nuclear energetics, space technologies, military technologies and most of all electronics containing integrated circuits with very large scale of integrations. Intensive heat transfer and thermal energy storage are possible by the use of phase change materials (PCMs. In the paper there are presented preliminary results of research on the use of liquid-gas (L-G PCMs and solid-solid phase change materials (S-S PCMs. For L-G PCMs the boiling characteristics were determined by increasing and decreasing the heat flux, which for certain sets of structural parameters of the heating surface and the physical properties of the liquid induce a variety of forms of transitional phenomena. Thermal energy storage is much more effective when using PCMs than sensible heat.

  10. Density functional simulations of Sb-rich GeSbTe phase change alloys

    OpenAIRE

    Gabardi, S; Caravati, S; Bernasconi, M; Parrinello, M

    2012-01-01

    We generated models of the amorphous phase of Sb rich GeSbTe phase change alloys by quenching from the melt within density functional molecular dynamics. We considered the two compositions Ge 1Sb 1Te 1 and Ge 2Sb 4Te 5. Comparison with previous results on the most studied Ge 2Sb 2Te 5 allowed us to draw some conclusions on the dependence of the structural properties of the amorphous phase on the alloy composition. Vibrational and electronic properties were also scrutinized. Phonons at high fr...

  11. Thermal Protection Performance of Carbon Aerogels Filled with Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate as a Phase Change Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Kazemi

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Carbon aerogels are comprised of a class of low density open-cell foams with large void space, nanometer pore size and composed of sparsely semi-colloidal nanometer sized particles forming an open porous structure. Phase change materials are those with high heat of fusion that could absorb and release a large amount of energy at the time of phase transition. These materials are mostly used as thermal energy storage materials but in addition they could serve as an obstacle for passage of heat during phase changes and this has led to their use in thermal protection systems. In this study, the effect of magnesium chloride hexahydrate, as a phase change material (melting point 115°C, on thermal properties of carbon aerogels is investigated. Thermal performance tests are designed and used for comparing the temperature-time behavior of the samples. DSC is applied to obtain the latent heat of melting of the phase change materials and the SEM tests are used to analyze the microstructure and morphology of carbon aerogels. The results show that the low percentage of phase change materials in carbon aerogels does not have any significant positive effect on carbon aerogels thermal properties. However, these properties are improved by increasing the percentage of phase change materials. With high percentage of phase change materials, a sample surface at 300°C would display an opposite surface with a significant drop in temperature increases, while at 115-200°C, with carbon aerogels, having no phase change materials, there is a severe reduction in the rate of temperature increase of the sample.

  12. Development of sodium acetate trihydrate-ethylene glycol composite phase change materials with enhanced thermophysical properties for thermal comfort and therapeutic applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Rohitash; Vyas, Sumita; Kumar, Ravindra; Dixit, Ambesh

    2017-07-12

    The heat packs using phase change materials (PCMs) are designed for possible applications such as body comfort and medical applications under adverse situations. The development and performance of such heat packs rely on thermophysical properties of PCMs such as latent heat, suitable heat releasing temperature, degree of supercooling, effective heat releasing time, crystallite size, stability against spontaneous nucleation in metastable supercooled liquid state and thermal stability during heating and cooling cycles. Such PCMs are rare and the available PCMs do not exhibit such properties simultaneously to meet the desired requirements. The present work reports a facile approach for the design and development of ethylene glycol (EG) and aqueous sodium acetate trihydrate (SAT) based composite phase change materials, showing these properties simultaneously. The addition of 2-3 wt% EG in aqueous SAT enhances the softness of SAT crystallites, its degree of supercooling and most importantly the effective heat releasing time by ~10% with respect to aqueous SAT material. In addition, the maximum heat releasing temperature of aqueous SAT has been tailored from 56.5 °C to 55 °C, 54.9 °C, 53.5 °C, 51.8 °C and 43.2 °C using 2%, 3%, 5%, 7% and 10 wt% EG respectively, making the aqueous SAT-EG composite PCMs suitable for desired thermal applications.

  13. Thermal properties and reliability of eutectic mixture of stearic acid-acetamide as phase change material for latent heat storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, Guixiang; Han, Lipeng; Sun, Jinhe; Jia, Yongzhong

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • The system of stearic acid-acetamide binary mixtures were studied as phase change material. • The eutectic mixtures featured low melting temperatures and high latent heats of fusion for latent heat storage. • Solid-liquid phase diagrams for the system were constructed. • Negligible change in stability after 500 heating/cooling cycles. - Abstract: The thermal properties and reliability of the stearic acid (SA) with acetamide (AC) binary mixture were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The phase diagrams for the SA-AC binary mixture with AC in the metastable and the stable form were constructed. The eutectic system with stable AC is 0.604 mol fraction SA, and displayed a melting temperature (T m ) of 64.55 °C and latent heat of melting (ΔH m ) of 193.87 J·g −1 . The eutectic systems with metastable AC are 0.397 and 0.604 mol fraction SA. The melting temperatures are 62.23 °C and 62.54 °C, and latent heats of fusion are 222.10 J·g −1 and 194.28 J·g −1 , respectively. Following accelerated thermal cycling tests, TG and FT-IR analysis indicate that the eutectic mixture (χ SA = 0.397) with the metastable AC has good cyclic and thermal stability. The results show that the SA-AC eutectic mixture use as phase change material (PCM) possess good prospect for low temperature thermal energy storage (TES) applications.

  14. Novel Formulations of Phase Change Materials—Epoxy Composites for Thermal Energy Storage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Elena Arce

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This research aimed to evaluate the thermal properties of new formulations of phase change materials (PCMs-epoxy composites, containing a thickening agent and a thermally conductive phase. The composite specimens produced consisted of composites fabricated using (a inorganic PCMs (hydrated salts, epoxy resins and aluminum particulates or (b organic PCM (paraffin, epoxy resins, and copper particles. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC was used to analyze the thermal behavior of the samples, while hardness measurements were used to determine changes in mechanical properties at diverse PCM and conductive phase loading values. The results indicate that the epoxy matrix can act as a container for the PCM phase without hindering the heat-absorbing behavior of the PCMs employed. Organic PCMs presented reversible phase transformations over multiple cycles, an advantage that was lacking in their inorganic counterparts. The enthalpy of the organic PCM-epoxy specimens increased linearly with the PCM content in the matrix. The use of thickening agents prevented phase segregation issues and allowed the fabrication of specimens containing up to 40% PCM, a loading significantly higher than others reported. The conductive phase seemed to improve the heat transfer and the mechanical properties of the composites when present in low percentages (<10 wt %; however, given its mass, the enthalpy detected in the composites was reduced as their loading further increased. The conductive phase combination (PCM + epoxy resin + hardener + thickening agent presents great potential as a heat-absorbing material at the temperatures employed.

  15. Preparation and Characterization of Modified Montmorillonite/Paraffin Phase Change Microcapsules for Energy Storage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LIN Sen

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The phase change microcapsules of modified montmorillonite/paraffin were prepared by Pickering emulsion method. Analytic techniques of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy(SEM, infrared spectroscopy(FTIR, differential scanning calorimetry(DSC and thermogravimetry(TG were utilized for characterizing chemical structure, morphology and thermal properties. Results show that modified montmorillonite as a new type wall material has excellent performance for protecting core material of paraffin. FTIR spectra of phase change of modified montmorillonite/paraffin microcapsules shows that their characteristic peaks match with corresponding peaks of pure paraffin and modified montmorillonite. DSC results indicate that modified montmorillonite/paraffin microcapsules have similar solid-liquid phase change temperature with pure paraffin. The phase transition enthalpy values of microcapsules with paraffin contents varying from 55% to 80% are 110.5-147.2J/g, indicating that microcapsules have excellent thermal storage performance and the phase change properties can be adjusted by changing contents of paraffin. TG results confirm that modified montmorillonite/paraffin microcapsules have outstanding thermal stability. The presented study indicates that modified montmorillonite is a suitable wall material for preparing paraffin microcapsule. Modified montmorillonite/paraffin microcapsules have advantages of low cost and high performance with a great application potential in the field of thermal storage.

  16. The influence of chain extender on properties of polyurethane-based phase change materials modified with graphene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pielichowska, Kinga; Nowak, Michał; Szatkowski, Piotr; Macherzyńska, Beata

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Polyurethane/graphene composites with solid–solid phase transition were obtained. • PEG incorporated as a soft segment acts as PCM with high heat of phase transition. • The influence of chain extender on PU PCMs properties was investigated. • Graphene introduction caused an increase in thermal stability and conductivity. - Abstract: In this paper polyurethane-based phase change materials (PCMs) modified with graphene for thermal energy storage were obtained in situ using a one-step bulk polymerization method. Polyurethanes (PUs) have been synthesized with 1,4-butanediol as a chain extender or without a chain extender. FTIR-ATR, DSC, TGA, SEM, OM and ultrasonic techniques were used for characterization of the obtained composites containing up to 4 wt.% of graphene. FTIR-ATR analysis confirmed PU structure and proved that there was no chemical reaction between polyurethane and graphene. The highest heat of phase transition and crystallinity were found for PU system synthesized without the chain extender and modified with 1.0 wt.% of graphene. Microscopic observation results indicated spherulite structures typical for poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) which was used to form soft segments, with regions of lamellar crystal bundles radiating from the center of a spherulite. Thermal cycling tests were done by 50 and 100 heating/cooling cyclings in air and nitrogen atmosphere for verification of the thermal reliability and chemical stability – it has been found the heat of phase transition was generally not diminished. Importantly, the thermal conductivity of the PCMs was improved after modification with graphene. Generally, PUPEG without chain extender exhibited higher heat of phase transition, higher thermal stability and better thermal reliability.

  17. Enhancing heat capacity of colloidal suspension using nanoscale encapsulated phase-change materials for heat transfer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Yan; Ding, Shujiang; Wu, Wei; Hu, Jianjun; Voevodin, Andrey A; Gschwender, Lois; Snyder, Ed; Chow, Louis; Su, Ming

    2010-06-01

    This paper describes a new method to enhance the heat-transfer property of a single-phase liquid by adding encapsulated phase-change nanoparticles (nano-PCMs), which absorb thermal energy during solid-liquid phase changes. Silica-encapsulated indium nanoparticles and polymer-encapsulated paraffin (wax) nanoparticles have been made using colloid method, and suspended into poly-alpha-olefin (PAO) and water for potential high- and low-temperature applications, respectively. The shells prevent leakage and agglomeration of molten phase-change materials, and enhance the dielectric properties of indium nanoparticles. The heat-transfer coefficients of PAO containing indium nanoparticles (30% by mass) and water containing paraffin nanoparticles (10% by mass) are 1.6 and 1.75 times higher than those of corresponding single-phase fluids. The structural integrity of encapsulation allows repeated use of such nanoparticles for many cycles in high heat generating devices.

  18. Heat storage properties of organic phase-change materials confined in the nanospace of mesoporous SBA-15 and CMK-3.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadoono, Tomosuke; Ogura, Masaru

    2014-03-28

    A novel type of material encapsulating phase-change materials (PCMs) is reported concerning their implication for use as thermal energy storage devices. The composites of siliceous SBA-15 or carbonaceous CMK-3 mesoporous assemblies and organic PCMs could be used to make leak-free devices that retain their capabilities over many thermal cycles for heat storage/release. A confinement effect was observed that alters the thermal properties of the encapsulated PCM, especially in CMK-3 without any similar effects in other carbon materials.

  19. Stoichiometrical trends in differential scanning calorimetry measurements on phase-change materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klein, Michael; Linn, Malte; Wuttig, Matthias [I. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen (Germany)

    2009-07-01

    Phase-change materials are alloys which can be rapidly switched between two metastable states, the amorphous and the crystalline phase. At the same time they show pronounced contrast in their electrical and optical properties. They are widely used as the functional layer in rewritable optical discs. Prototypes of electrical devices employing phase change materials as non-volatile memory are already entering the market. Here we present calorimetric measurements, mainly on ternary Ge-Sb-Te alloys. Scratched-off thin film samples were heated in a differential scanning calorimeter to measure the transition from as-deposited amorphous to metastable crystalline phase and finally to the stable crystalline phase. The different transition temperatures will be analysed as a function of stoichiometry in order to improve the understanding of their interconnection.

  20. Changes of optical, dielectric, and structural properties of Si15Sb85 phase change memory thin films under different initializing laser power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Huan; Zhang Lei; Wang Yang; Han Xiaodong; Wu Yiqun; Zhang Ze; Gan Fuxi

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → We study the optical, dielectric, and structural characteristics of Si 15 Sb 85 phase change memory thin films under a moving continuous-wave laser initialization. → The optical and dielectric constants, absorption coefficient of Si 15 Sb 85 change regularly with the increasing laser power. → The optical band gaps of Si 15 Sb 85 irradiated upon different power lasers were calculated. → HRTEM images of the samples were observed and the changes of optical and dielectric constants are determined by crystalline structures changes of the films. - Abstract: The optical, dielectric, and structural characteristics of Si 15 Sb 85 phase change memory thin films under a moving continuous-wave laser initialization are studied by using spectroscopic ellipsometry and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The dependence of complex refractive index, dielectric functions, absorption coefficient, and optical band gap of the films on its crystallization extents formed by the different initialization laser power are analyzed in detail. The structural change from as-deposited amorphous phase to distorted rhombohedra-Sb-like crystalline structure with the increase of initialization laser power is clearly observed with sub-nanometer resolution. The optical and dielectric constants, the relationship between them, and the local atomic arrangements of this new phase change material can help explain the phase change mechanism and design the practical phase change memory devices.

  1. interThermalPhaseChangeFoam—A framework for two-phase flow simulations with thermally driven phase change

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahdi Nabil

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The volume-of-fluid (VOF approach is a mature technique for simulating two-phase flows. However, VOF simulation of phase-change heat transfer is still in its infancy. Multiple closure formulations have been proposed in the literature, each suited to different applications. While these have enabled significant research advances, few implementations are publicly available, actively maintained, or inter-operable. Here, a VOF solver is presented (interThermalPhaseChangeFoam, which incorporates an extensible framework for phase-change heat transfer modeling, enabling simulation of diverse phenomena in a single environment. The solver employs object oriented OpenFOAM library features, including Run-Time-Type-Identification to enable rapid implementation and run-time selection of phase change and surface tension force models. The solver is packaged with multiple phase change and surface tension closure models, adapted and refined from earlier studies. This code has previously been applied to study wavy film condensation, Taylor flow evaporation, nucleate boiling, and dropwise condensation. Tutorial cases are provided for simulation of horizontal film condensation, smooth and wavy falling film condensation, nucleate boiling, and bubble condensation. Validation and grid sensitivity studies, interfacial transport models, effects of spurious currents from surface tension models, effects of artificial heat transfer due to numerical factors, and parallel scaling performance are described in detail in the Supplemental Material (see Appendix A. By incorporating the framework and demonstration cases into a single environment, users can rapidly apply the solver to study phase-change processes of interest.

  2. interThermalPhaseChangeFoam-A framework for two-phase flow simulations with thermally driven phase change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nabil, Mahdi; Rattner, Alexander S.

    The volume-of-fluid (VOF) approach is a mature technique for simulating two-phase flows. However, VOF simulation of phase-change heat transfer is still in its infancy. Multiple closure formulations have been proposed in the literature, each suited to different applications. While these have enabled significant research advances, few implementations are publicly available, actively maintained, or inter-operable. Here, a VOF solver is presented (interThermalPhaseChangeFoam), which incorporates an extensible framework for phase-change heat transfer modeling, enabling simulation of diverse phenomena in a single environment. The solver employs object oriented OpenFOAM library features, including Run-Time-Type-Identification to enable rapid implementation and run-time selection of phase change and surface tension force models. The solver is packaged with multiple phase change and surface tension closure models, adapted and refined from earlier studies. This code has previously been applied to study wavy film condensation, Taylor flow evaporation, nucleate boiling, and dropwise condensation. Tutorial cases are provided for simulation of horizontal film condensation, smooth and wavy falling film condensation, nucleate boiling, and bubble condensation. Validation and grid sensitivity studies, interfacial transport models, effects of spurious currents from surface tension models, effects of artificial heat transfer due to numerical factors, and parallel scaling performance are described in detail in the Supplemental Material (see Appendix A). By incorporating the framework and demonstration cases into a single environment, users can rapidly apply the solver to study phase-change processes of interest.

  3. Graphene/phase change material nanocomposites: light-driven, reversible electrical resistivity regulation via form-stable phase transitions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yunming; Mi, Hongyi; Zheng, Qifeng; Ma, Zhenqiang; Gong, Shaoqin

    2015-02-04

    Innovative photoresponsive materials are needed to address the complexity of optical control systems. Here, we report a new type of photoresponsive nanomaterial composed of graphene and a form-stable phase change material (PCM) that exhibited a 3 orders of magnitude change in electrical resistivity upon light illumination while retaining its overall original solid form at the macroscopic level. This dramatic change in electrical resistivity also occurred reversibly through the on/off control of light illumination. This was attributed to the reversible phase transition (i.e., melting/recrystallization) behavior of the microscopic crystalline domains present in the form-stable PCM. The reversible phase transition observed in the graphene/PCM nanocomposite was induced by a reversible temperature change through the on/off control of light illumination because graphene can effectively absorb light energy and convert it to thermal energy. In addition, this graphene/PCM nanocomposite also possessed excellent mechanical properties. Such photoresponsive materials have many potential applications, including flexible electronics.

  4. Nano-pulsed laser irradiation scanning system for phase-change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Sookyung; Li Xuezhe; Lee, Sangbin; Kim, Kyung-Ho; Lee, Seung-Yop

    2008-01-01

    Recently, the demand of a laser irradiation tester is increasing for phase change random access memory (PRAM) as well as conventional optical storage media. In this study, a nano-pulsed laser irradiation system is developed to characterize the optical property and writing performance of phase-change materials, based on a commercially available digital versatile disk (DVD) optical pick-up. The precisely controlled focusing and scanning on the material's surface are implemented using the auto-focusing mechanism and a voice coil motor (VCM) of the commercial DVD pick-up. The laser irradiation system provides various writing and reading functions such as adjustable laser power, pulse duration, recording pattern (spot, line and area), and writing/reading repetition, phase transition, and in situ reflectivity measurement before/after irradiation. Measurements of power time effect (PTE) diagram and reflectivity map of Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 samples show that the proposed laser irradiation system provides the powerful scanning tool to quantify the optical characteristics of phase-change materials

  5. Phase change based cooling for high burst mode heat loads with temperature regulation above the phase change temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy

    2009-12-15

    An apparatus and method for transferring thermal energy from a heat load is disclosed. In particular, use of a phase change material and specific flow designs enables cooling with temperature regulation well above the fusion temperature of the phase change material for medium and high heat loads from devices operated intermittently (in burst mode). Exemplary heat loads include burst mode lasers and laser diodes, flight avionics, and high power space instruments. Thermal energy is transferred from the heat load to liquid phase change material from a phase change material reservoir. The liquid phase change material is split into two flows. Thermal energy is transferred from the first flow via a phase change material heat sink. The second flow bypasses the phase change material heat sink and joins with liquid phase change material exiting from the phase change material heat sink. The combined liquid phase change material is returned to the liquid phase change material reservoir. The ratio of bypass flow to flow into the phase change material heat sink can be varied to adjust the temperature of the liquid phase change material returned to the liquid phase change material reservoir. Varying the flowrate and temperature of the liquid phase change material presented to the heat load determines the magnitude of thermal energy transferred from the heat load.

  6. Tailoring phase change materials: Stoichiometrical trends in the Ge-Sb-Te system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klein, Michael; Wamwangi, Daniel; Wuttig, Matthias [I. Physikalisches Institut 1A, RWTH Aachen, 52056 Aachen (Germany)

    2007-07-01

    Phase change materials are widely used as the active layer in rewritable optical media. This layer can be reversibly switched with a laser beam between an amorphous and crystalline state. As there is a pronounced optical contrast between these two phases, this provides the possibility to write, read and erase data. The speed of this method is limited by the speed of crystallization, as crystallization is the slower process. One possibility to make this process faster is to change the composition of this active layer. Thus it is very interesting to investigate how the process of crystallization is affected by a variation of stoichiometry. Although phase change materials technology is already used, there is little knowledge of the phase change process itself. Today the usability of phase change materials is still identified by try and error methods. We will show stoichiometrical trends of different properties relevant for data storage, e.g. the crystallisation temperature, which governs the room temperature stability of the amorphous phase and thus is a measure for the data retention time.

  7. A zero density change phase change memory material: GeTe-O structural characteristics upon crystallisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Xilin; Dong, Weiling; Zhang, Hao; Simpson, Robert E

    2015-06-11

    Oxygen-doped germanium telluride phase change materials are proposed for high temperature applications. Up to 8 at.% oxygen is readily incorporated into GeTe, causing an increased crystallisation temperature and activation energy. The rhombohedral structure of the GeTe crystal is preserved in the oxygen doped films. For higher oxygen concentrations the material is found to phase separate into GeO2 and TeO2, which inhibits the technologically useful abrupt change in properties. Increasing the oxygen content in GeTe-O reduces the difference in film thickness and mass density between the amorphous and crystalline states. For oxygen concentrations between 5 and 6 at.%, the amorphous material and the crystalline material have the same density. Above 6 at.% O doping, crystallisation exhibits an anomalous density change, where the volume of the crystalline state is larger than that of the amorphous. The high thermal stability and zero-density change characteristic of Oxygen-incorporated GeTe, is recommended for efficient and low stress phase change memory devices that may operate at elevated temperatures.

  8. Origin, secret, and application of the ideal phase-change material GeSbTe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamada, Noboru [Advanced Technology Research Laboratories, Panasonic Corporation, 3-4 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, 619-0237 Kyoto (Japan); Nanoelectronics Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Central 4, 1-1-1, Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8562 (Japan)

    2012-10-15

    Discovery of the GeSbTe phase-change alloy in particular along the GeTe-Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} tie-line took place in the mid-1980s. The amorphous alloys showed ideal properties, for example, high thermal stability at r.t. and laser-induced rapid crystallization with large optical changes. Thereafter, GeSbTe was successively applied to various optical disks such as DVDs and BDs. Through DSC and XRD analyses, the appearance of the metastable phase having a NaCl-type structure was observed over a wide compositional region. This was the ''key'' to realizing the ideal phase-change properties. During this year, the role of the constituent elements of Ge and Sb became clear by RMC modeling using AXS data at SPring-8, where the ''nucleation dominant crystallization process'' was well explained. The aspect of the latest Blu-ray Disc (BD) product of Panasonic: GeSbTe phase-change films are utilized in every recording layer. It is seen that the front-side recording layers, L1 and L2, are highly transparent. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  9. Nanostructure-property relations for phase-change random access memory (PCRAM) line cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kooi, B. J.; Oosthoek, J. L. M.; Verheijen, M. A.; Kaiser, M.; Jedema, F. J.; Gravesteijn, D. J.

    2012-01-01

    Phase-change random access memory (PCRAM) cells have been studied extensively using electrical characterization and rather limited by detailed structure characterization. The combination of these two characterization techniques has hardly been exploited and it is the focus of the present work.

  10. Development of Latent Heat Storage Phase Change Material Containing Plaster

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diana BAJARE

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper reviews the development of latent heat storage Phase Change Material (PCM containing plaster as in passive application. Due to the phase change, these materials can store higher amounts of thermal energy than traditional building materials and can be used to add thermal inertia to lightweight constructions. It was shown that the use of PCMs have advantages stabilizing the room temperature variations during summer days, provided sufficient night ventilation is allowed. Another advantage of PCM usage is stabilized indoor temperature on the heating season. The goal of this study is to develop cement and lime based plaster containing microencapsulated PCM. The plaster is expected to be used for passive indoor applications and enhance the thermal properties of building envelope. The plaster was investigated under Scanning Electron Microscope and the mechanical, physical and thermal properties of created plaster samples were determined.

  11. Sb-Te Phase-change Materials under Nanoscale Confinement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ihalawela, Chandrasiri A.

    Size, speed and efficiency are the major challenges of next generation nonvolatile memory (NVM), and phase-change memory (PCM) has captured a great attention due to its promising features. The key for PCM is rapid and reversible switching between amorphous and crystalline phases with optical or electrical excitation. The structural transition is associated with significant contrast in material properties which can be utilized in optical (CD, DVD, BD) and electronic (PCRAM) memory applications. Importantly, both the functionality and the success of PCM technology significantly depend on the core material and its properties. So investigating PC materials is crucial for the development of PCM technology to realized enhanced solutions. In regards to PC materials, Sb-Te binary plays a significant role as a basis to the well-known Ge-Sb-Te system. Unlike the conventional deposition methods (sputtering, evaporation), electrochemical deposition method is used due to its multiple advantages, such as conformality, via filling capability, etc. First, the controllable synthesis of Sb-Te thin films was studied for a wide range of compositions using this novel deposition method. Secondly, the solid electrolytic nature of stoichiometric Sb2Te3 was studied with respect to precious metals. With the understanding of 2D thin film synthesis, Sb-Te 1D nanowires (18 - 220 nm) were synthesized using templated electrodeposition, where nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) was used as a template for the growth of nanowires. In order to gain the controllability over the deposition in high aspect ratio structures, growth mechanisms of both the thin films and nanowires were investigated. Systematic understanding gained thorough previous studies helped to formulate the ultimate goal of this dissertation. In this dissertation, the main objective is to understand the size effect of PC materials on their phase transition properties. The reduction of effective memory cell size in conjunction with

  12. Sprayable Phase Change Coating Thermal Protection Material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richardson, Rod W.; Hayes, Paul W.; Kaul, Raj

    2005-01-01

    NASA has expressed a need for reusable, environmentally friendly, phase change coating that is capable of withstanding the heat loads that have historically required an ablative thermal insulation. The Space Shuttle Program currently relies on ablative materials for thermal protection. The problem with an ablative insulation is that, by design, the material ablates away, in fulfilling its function of cooling the underlying substrate, thus preventing the insulation from being reused from flight to flight. The present generation of environmentally friendly, sprayable, ablative thermal insulation (MCC-l); currently use on the Space Shuttle SRBs, is very close to being a reusable insulation system. In actual flight conditions, as confirmed by the post-flight inspections of the SRBs, very little of the material ablates. Multi-flight thermal insulation use has not been qualified for the Space Shuttle. The gap that would have to be overcome in order to implement a reusable Phase Change Coating (PCC) is not unmanageable. PCC could be applied robotically with a spray process utilizing phase change material as filler to yield material of even higher strength and reliability as compared to MCC-1. The PCC filled coatings have also demonstrated potential as cryogenic thermal coatings. In experimental thermal tests, a thin application of PCC has provided the same thermal protection as a much thicker and heavier application of a traditional ablative thermal insulation. In addition, tests have shown that the structural integrity of the coating has been maintained and phase change performance after several aero-thermal cycles was not affected. Experimental tests have also shown that, unlike traditional ablative thermal insulations, PCC would not require an environmental seal coat, which has historically been required to prevent moisture absorption by the thermal insulation, prevent environmental degradation, and to improve the optical and aerodynamic properties. In order to reduce

  13. Thermal properties of a novel nanoencapsulated phase change material for thermal energy storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fuensanta, Mónica, E-mail: monica.fuensanta@aidico.es [AIDICO, Technological Institute of Construction, Camí de Castella, 4, 03660 Novelda, Alicante (Spain); Paiphansiri, Umaporn [Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz (Germany); Romero-Sánchez, María Dolores, E-mail: md.romero@aidico.es [AIDICO, Technological Institute of Construction, Camí de Castella, 4, 03660 Novelda, Alicante (Spain); Guillem, Celia; López-Buendía, Ángel M. [AIDICO, Technological Institute of Construction, Camí de Castella, 4, 03660 Novelda, Alicante (Spain); Landfester, Katharina [Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz (Germany)

    2013-08-10

    Highlights: • A paraffin wax RT80 was encapsulated in styrene–butyl acrylate copolymer as polymer shell using miniemulsion polymerization process to obtain a novel nanoencapsulated PCM with 80 °C melting temperature. • Nano-PCMs have high compact structure, spherical morphology and thermal stability. • The nano-PCMs have potential applications as thermal energy storage materials. - Abstract: A novel nanoencapsulation of a paraffine type phase change material, RT80, in a styrene–butyl acrylate copolymer shell using the miniemulsion polymerization process was carried out. General characteristics of the RT80 nanoparticles in terms of thermal properties, morphology, chemical composition and particle size distribution were characterized by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The influence of different monomers (styrene, butyl acrylate) and the surfactant/paraffin mass ratios on nanoparticles properties such as thermal capacity, particle size and morphology were systematically investigated. In all cases studied, encapsulation efficiency was close to 80 wt% with a particle size distribution between 52 and 112 nm and regular spherical shape and uniform structure. The amount of encapsulated paraffin achieved was comprised between 8 and 20%. Melting and crystallization heats were found to be approximately 5–25 J g{sup −1}, mainly depending on surfactant/paraffin mass ratio. Melting temperature of RT80 nanoparticles slightly decreased (1–7 °C) respect to the raw RT80. In addition, the encapsulated RT80 nanoparticles show thermal stability even after 200 thermal (heat-cooling) cycles.

  14. Thermal properties of a novel nanoencapsulated phase change material for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuensanta, Mónica; Paiphansiri, Umaporn; Romero-Sánchez, María Dolores; Guillem, Celia; López-Buendía, Ángel M.; Landfester, Katharina

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • A paraffin wax RT80 was encapsulated in styrene–butyl acrylate copolymer as polymer shell using miniemulsion polymerization process to obtain a novel nanoencapsulated PCM with 80 °C melting temperature. • Nano-PCMs have high compact structure, spherical morphology and thermal stability. • The nano-PCMs have potential applications as thermal energy storage materials. - Abstract: A novel nanoencapsulation of a paraffine type phase change material, RT80, in a styrene–butyl acrylate copolymer shell using the miniemulsion polymerization process was carried out. General characteristics of the RT80 nanoparticles in terms of thermal properties, morphology, chemical composition and particle size distribution were characterized by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The influence of different monomers (styrene, butyl acrylate) and the surfactant/paraffin mass ratios on nanoparticles properties such as thermal capacity, particle size and morphology were systematically investigated. In all cases studied, encapsulation efficiency was close to 80 wt% with a particle size distribution between 52 and 112 nm and regular spherical shape and uniform structure. The amount of encapsulated paraffin achieved was comprised between 8 and 20%. Melting and crystallization heats were found to be approximately 5–25 J g −1 , mainly depending on surfactant/paraffin mass ratio. Melting temperature of RT80 nanoparticles slightly decreased (1–7 °C) respect to the raw RT80. In addition, the encapsulated RT80 nanoparticles show thermal stability even after 200 thermal (heat-cooling) cycles

  15. Damage development, phase changes, transport properties, and freeze-thaw performance of cementitious materials exposed to chloride based salts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farnam, Yaghoob

    Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in premature deterioration in concrete pavements and flat works that are exposed to chloride based salts. Chloride based salts can cause damage and deterioration in concrete due to the combination of factors which include: increased saturation, ice formation, salt crystallization, osmotic pressure, corrosion in steel reinforcement, and/or deleterious chemical reactions. This thesis discusses how chloride based salts interact with cementitious materials to (1) develop damage in concrete, (2) create new chemical phases in concrete, (3) alter transport properties of concrete, and (4) change the concrete freeze-thaw performance. A longitudinal guarded comparative calorimeter (LGCC) was developed to simultaneously measure heat flow, damage development, and phase changes in mortar samples exposed to sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl 2), and magnesium chloride (MgCl2) under thermal cycling. Acoustic emission and electrical resistivity measurements were used in conjunction with the LGCC to assess damage development and electrical response of mortar samples during cooling and heating. A low-temperature differential scanning calorimetry (LT-DSC) was used to evaluate the chemical interaction that occurs between the constituents of cementitious materials (i.e., pore solution, calcium hydroxide, and hydrated cement paste) and salts. Salts were observed to alter the classical phase diagram for a salt-water system which has been conventionally used to interpret the freeze-thaw behavior in concrete. An additional chemical phase change was observed for a concrete-salt-water system resulting in severe damage in cementitious materials. In a cementitious system exposed to NaCl, the chemical phase change occurs at a temperature range between -6 °C and 8 °C due to the presence of calcium sulfoaluminate phases in concrete. As a result, concrete exposed to NaCl can experience additional freeze-thaw cycles due to the chemical

  16. Solid state phase change materials for thermal energy storage in passive solar heated buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benson, D. K.; Christensen, C.

    1983-11-01

    A set of solid state phase change materials was evaluated for possible use in passive solar thermal energy storage systems. The most promising materials are organic solid solutions of pentaerythritol, pentaglycerine and neopentyl glycol. Solid solution mixtures of these compounds can be tailored so that they exhibit solid-to-solid phase transformations at any desired temperature within the range from less than 25 deg to 188 deg. Thermophysical properties such as thermal conductivity, density and volumetric expansion were measured. Computer simulations were used to predict the performance of various Trombe wall designs incorporating solid state phase change materials. Optimum performance was found to be sensitive to the choice of phase change temperatures and to the thermal conductivity of the phase change material. A molecular mechanism of the solid state phase transition is proposed and supported by infrared spectroscopic evidence.

  17. Forced Ion Migration for Chalcogenide Phase Change Memory Device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Kristy A (Inventor)

    2013-01-01

    Non-volatile memory devices with two stacked layers of chalcogenide materials comprising the active memory device have been investigated for their potential as phase-change memories. The devices tested included GeTe/SnTe, Ge2Se3/SnTe, and Ge2Se3/SnSe stacks. All devices exhibited resistance switching behavior. The polarity of the applied voltage with respect to the SnTe or SnSe layer was critical to the memory switching properties, due to the electric field induced movement of either Sn or Te into the Ge-chalcogenide layer. One embodiment of the invention is a device comprising a stack of chalcogenide-containing layers which exhibit phase-change switching only after a reverse polarity voltage potential is applied across the stack causing ion movement into an adjacent layer and thus "activating" the device to act as a phase-change random access memory device or a reconfigurable electronics device when the applied voltage potential is returned to the normal polarity. Another embodiment of the invention is a device that is capable of exhibiting more than two data states.

  18. Evidence for resonant bonding in phase-change materials studied by IR spectroscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Shportko

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Phase-change materials (PCM attract attention due to their unique properties. This remarkable portfolio also makes them promising for applications in novel data storage devices. In this study, we discuss differences in the optical properties of PCM and non-PCM in the IR caused by presence or absence of resonant bonding.

  19. Thermophysical and Mechanical Properties of Hardened Cement Paste with Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials for Energy Storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Hongzhi; Liao, Wenyu; Memon, Shazim Ali; Dong, Biqin; Tang, Waiching

    2014-12-16

    In this research, structural-functional integrated cement-based materials were prepared by employing cement paste and a microencapsulated phase change material (MPCM) manufactured using urea-formaldehyde resin as the shell and paraffin as the core material. The encapsulation ratio of the MPCM could reach up to 91.21 wt%. Thermal energy storage cement pastes (TESCPs) incorporated with different MPCM contents (5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% by weight of cement) were developed, and their thermal and mechanical properties were studied. The results showed that the total energy storage capacity of the hardened cement specimens with MPCM increased by up to 3.9-times compared with that of the control cement paste. The thermal conductivity at different temperature levels (35-36 °C, 55-56 °C and 72-74 °C) decreased with the increase of MPCM content, and the decrease was the highest when the temperature level was 55-56 °C. Moreover, the compressive strength, flexural strength and density of hardened cement paste decreased with the increase in MPCM content linearly. Among the evaluated properties, the compressive strength of TESCPs had a larger and faster degradation with the increase of MPCM content.

  20. Enhanced thermal properties of novel shape-stabilized PEG composite phase change materials with radial mesoporous silica sphere for thermal energy storage

    OpenAIRE

    Min, Xin; Fang, Minghao; Huang, Zhaohui; Liu, Yan?gai; Huang, Yaoting; Wen, Ruilong; Qian, Tingting; Wu, Xiaowen

    2015-01-01

    Radial mesoporous silica (RMS) sphere was tailor-made for further applications in producing shape-stabilized composite phase change materials (ss-CPCMs) through a facile self-assembly process using CTAB as the main template and TEOS as SiO2 precursor. Novel ss-CPCMs composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and RMS were prepared through vacuum impregnating method. Various techniques were employed to characterize the structural and thermal properties of the ss-CPCMs. The DSC results indicated that...

  1. Preparation and Thermal Properties of Eutectic Hydrate Salt Phase Change Thermal Energy Storage Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Liang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, a new cold storage phase change material eutectic hydrate salt (K2HPO4·3H2O–NaH2PO4·2H2O–Na2S2O3·5H2O was prepared, modified, and tested. The modification was performed by adding a nucleating agent and thickener. The physical properties such as viscosity, surface tension, cold storage characteristics, supercooling, and the stability during freeze-thaw cycles were studied. Results show that the use of nucleating agents, such as sodium tetraborate, sodium fluoride, and nanoparticles, are effective. The solidification temperature and latent heat of these materials which was added with 0, 3, and 5 wt% thickeners were −11.9, −10.6, and −14.8°C and 127.2, 118.6, 82.56 J/g, respectively. Adding a nucleating agent can effectively improve the nucleation rate and nucleation stability. Furthermore, increasing viscosity has a positive impact on the solidification rate, supercooling, and the stability during freeze-thaw cycles.

  2. Kinetic and thermodynamic aspects of crystallization in the phase-change material Ge{sub 15}Sb{sub 85}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zalden, Peter; Klein, Michael; Wuttig, Matthias [I. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University (Germany); Coulet, Vanessa [IM2NP - UMR CNRS 6242, Aix-Marseille Universite, Marseille (France); Bichara, Christophe [CINaM - UPR CNRS 3118, Marseille (France)

    2009-07-01

    Phase-change materials exhibit a very rare combination of properties as they do not only show crystallization on the nanosecond time scale but also show a pronounced change of the optical reflectivity and the electronic resistivity upon crystallization. This property combination is already exploited in rewritable optical data storage and is explored in phase-change memories (PCM), which are considered to be the most promising candidate for future non-volatile electronic data storage. In this study, structural modifications in sputtered thin films during the transition from the as-deposited amorphous to the crystalline phase are analysed, employing a combination of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. This survey includes a systematic study of heat capacities and transition temperatures for different annealing conditions in the amorphous and partially crystallized state. In addition, diffractograms have been recorded ex-situ during different stages of the thermal treatment. These results indicate a segregation of a Ge-rich phase. A comparison to conventional tellurium based phase-change materials is presented.

  3. Effect of Se substitution on the phase change properties of Ge2Sb2Te5

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shekhawat, Roopali; Rangappa, Ramanna; Gopal, E. S. R.; Ramesh, K.

    2018-05-01

    Ge2Sb2Te5 popularly known as GST is being explored for non-volatile phase change random access memory(PCRAM) applications. Under high electric field, thin films of amorphous GST undergo a phase change from amorphous to crystalline with a high contrast in electrical resistivity (about 103). The phase change is between amorphous and metastable NaCl structure occurs at about 150°C and not to the stable hexagonal phase which occurs at a high temperature (> 250 °C). In GST, about 50 % of Te substituted by Se (Ge2Sb2Te2.5Se2.5) is found to increase the contrast in electrical resistivity by 7 orders of magnitude (about 4 orders of magnitude higher than GST). The phase transition in Se added GST also found to be between amorphous and the stable hexagonal structure. The threshold voltage at which the Ge2Sb2Te2.5Se2.5 switches to the high conducting state increases to 9V as compared to 2V in GST. Interestingly, the threshold current decrease to 1mA as compared to 1.8mA in GST indicating the Se substitution reduces the power needed for switching between the low and high conducting states. The reduction in power needed for phase change, high contrast in electrical resistivity with high thermal stability makes Ge2Sb2Te2.5Se2.5 as a better candidate for PCRAM.

  4. Characterization of Concrete Mixes Containing Phase Change Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paksoy, H.; Kardas, G.; Konuklu, Y.; Cellat, K.; Tezcan, F.

    2017-10-01

    Phase change materials (PCM) can be used in passive building applications to achieve near zero energy building goals. For this purpose PCM can be added in building structures and materials in different forms. Direct incorporation, form stabilization and microencapsulation are different forms used for PCM integration in building materials. In addition to thermal properties of PCM itself, there are several other criteria that need to be fulfilled for the PCM enhanced building materials. Mechanical properties, corrosive effects, morphology and thermal buffering have to be determined for reliable and long-term applications in buildings. This paper aims to give an overview of characterization methods used to determine these properties in PCM added fresh concrete mixes. Thermal, compressive strength, corrosion, and microscopic test results for concrete mixes with PCM are discussed.

  5. Size-dependent and tunable crystallization of GeSbTe phase-change nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Bin; Ten Brink, Gert H.; Palasantzas, George; Kooi, Bart J.

    2016-12-01

    Chalcogenide-based nanostructured phase-change materials (PCMs) are considered promising building blocks for non-volatile memory due to their high write and read speeds, high data-storage density, and low power consumption. Top-down fabrication of PCM nanoparticles (NPs), however, often results in damage and deterioration of their useful properties. Gas-phase condensation based on magnetron sputtering offers an attractive and straightforward solution to continuously down-scale the PCMs into sub-lithographic sizes. Here we unprecedentedly present the size dependence of crystallization for Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) NPs, whose production is currently highly challenging for chemical synthesis or top-down fabrication. Both amorphous and crystalline NPs have been produced with excellent size and composition control with average diameters varying between 8 and 17 nm. The size-dependent crystallization of these NPs was carefully analyzed through in-situ heating in a transmission electron microscope, where the crystallization temperatures (Tc) decrease when the NPs become smaller. Moreover, methane incorporation has been observed as an effective method to enhance the amorphous phase stability of the NPs. This work therefore elucidates that GST NPs synthesized by gas-phase condensation with tailored properties are promising alternatives in designing phase-change memories constrained by optical lithography limitations.

  6. Phase change materials and the perception of wetness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiest, Wouter M Bergmann; Kosters, N Dolfine; Kappers, Astrid M L; Daanen, Hein A M

    2012-01-01

    Phase change materials (PCMs) are increasingly incorporated in textiles in order to serve as a thermal buffer when humans change from a hot to a cold environment and the reverse. Due to the absence of wetness sensors in the skin, cooling of the skin may be perceived as a sensation of wetness instead of cold. In order to investigate if this phenomenon occurs when manipulating textiles, nine subjects were asked to touch or manipulate PCM-treated and untreated fabrics. In 75% of the cases, the subjects indicated that the treated material felt wetter than the untreated material independent of the way the textiles were manipulated. We conclude that incorporating PCMs in textiles may lead to a feeling of wetness which might be uncomfortable. Therefore, we recommend investigating a change in cooling properties to minimise this feeling. This article describes a psychophysical experiment into the sensation of wetness of textiles treated with phase change materials. It was found that in 75% of the cases, subjects found the treated fabric to feel wetter than the untreated. This may affect the comfort of wearing clothes made of these textiles.

  7. Investigations of binary and ternary phase change alloys for future memory applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rausch, Pascal

    2012-01-01

    The understanding of phase change materials is of great importance because it enables us to predict properties and tailor alloys which might be even better suitable to tackle challenges of future memory applications. Within this thesis two topics have been approached: on the one hand the understanding of the alloy In 3 Sb 1 Te 2 and on the other hand the so called resistivity drift of amorphous Ge-Sn-Te phase change materials. The main topic covers an in depth discussion of the ternary alloy In 3 Sb 1 Te 2 . At first glance, this alloy does not fit into the established concepts of phase alloys: e.g. the existence of resonant bonding in the crystalline phase is not obvious and the number of p-electrons is very low compared to other phase change alloys. Furthermore amorphous phase change alloys with high indium content are usually not discussed in literature, an exception being the recent work by Spreafico et al. on InGeTe 2 . For the first time a complete description of In 3 Sb 1 Te 2 alloy is given in this work for the crystalline phase, amorphous phase and crystallization process. In addition comparisons are drawn to typical phase change materials like Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 /GeTe or prototype systems like AgInTe 2 and InTe. The second topic of this thesis deals with the issue of resistivity drift, i.e. the increase of resistivity of amorphous phase change alloys with aging. This drift effect greatly hampers the introduction of multilevel phase change memory devices into the market. Recently a systematic decrease of drift coefficient with stoichiometry has been observed in our group going from GeTe over Ge 3 Sn 1 Te 4 to Ge 2 Sn 2 Te 4 . These alloys are investigated with respect to constraint theory.

  8. Properties of n-eicosane-filled microcapsules with different morphology. Phase Change Materials studied by positron spectroscopy and complementary methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zgardzińska, B., E-mail: bozena.zgardzinska@poczta.umcs.lublin.pl [Department of Nuclear Methods, Institute of Physics, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Pl. M. Curie-Sklodowskiej 1, 20-031 Lublin (Poland); Filipek, M. [Department of Nuclear Methods, Institute of Physics, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Pl. M. Curie-Sklodowskiej 1, 20-031 Lublin (Poland); Fortuniak, W. [Center of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sienkiewicza 112, 90-363 Łódź (Poland); Mroczek, P. [Department of Geoecology and Palaeogeography, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Al. Kraśnicka 2cd, 20-718 Lublin (Poland)

    2016-07-01

    The Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS) was used to investigate properties of selected Phase Change Materials (PCMs) as a function of temperature from 123 K to 333 K. Three different PCM microcapsules investigated in this work were built of n-eicosane filling and a siloxane polymer as a shell material. It has been found that the properties of ortho-positronium (o-Ps) annihilating in n-eicosane filler depend on the microcapsule morphology. In the samples where the whole interior is composed of n-eicosane and the polymer forms the outer shell only, the n-eicosane behaves like a neat macroscopic sample. In the microcapsules containing the network of polymer threads inside the globule, n-eicosane shows no rise of o-Ps intensity with time which is typical for all pure alkanes. For this morphology, the melting point of n-eicosane is preceded by the 4 K wide temperature range, where the structure resembling the rotator phase is observed (rotator phase appears in neat even-numbered alkanes with carbon chain over 20 atoms). Supplementary data were obtained by the DSC method. SEM images confirmed the morphological differentiation of microcapsules. Low temperature (close to liquid nitrogen) destroys the structure of microcapsules, particularly their outer shell. - Highlights: • Polymer-alkane microcapsules were synthesized with different morphology. • Morphological diversity of microcapsules is reflected in the parameters of the PALS. • PALS show the effect of spatial limitations on the formation of lamellar structure. • PALS is a new way to determine the percentage of microcapsules components.

  9. Density functional simulations of Sb-rich GeSbTe phase change alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gabardi, S; Bernasconi, M; Caravati, S; Parrinello, M

    2012-01-01

    We generated models of the amorphous phase of Sb-rich GeSbTe phase change alloys by quenching from the melt within density functional molecular dynamics. We considered the two compositions Ge 1 Sb 1 Te 1 and Ge 2 Sb 4 Te 5 . Comparison with previous results on the most studied Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 allowed us to draw some conclusions on the dependence of the structural properties of the amorphous phase on the alloy composition. Vibrational and electronic properties were also scrutinized. Phonons at high frequencies above 200 cm -1 are localized in tetrahedra around Ge atoms in Sb-rich compounds as well as in Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 . All compounds are semiconducting in the amorphous phase, with a band gap in the range 0.7-1.0 eV.

  10. Density functional simulations of Sb-rich GeSbTe phase change alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabardi, S.; Caravati, S.; Bernasconi, M.; Parrinello, M.

    2012-09-01

    We generated models of the amorphous phase of Sb-rich GeSbTe phase change alloys by quenching from the melt within density functional molecular dynamics. We considered the two compositions Ge1Sb1Te1 and Ge2Sb4Te5. Comparison with previous results on the most studied Ge2Sb2Te5 allowed us to draw some conclusions on the dependence of the structural properties of the amorphous phase on the alloy composition. Vibrational and electronic properties were also scrutinized. Phonons at high frequencies above 200 cm-1 are localized in tetrahedra around Ge atoms in Sb-rich compounds as well as in Ge2Sb2Te5. All compounds are semiconducting in the amorphous phase, with a band gap in the range 0.7-1.0 eV.

  11. Study of large nonlinear change phase in Hibiscus Sabdariffa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trejo-Durán, M.; Alvarado-Méndez, E.; Andrade-Lucio, J. A.; Rojas-Laguna, R.; Vázquez-Guevara, M. A.

    2015-09-01

    High intensities electromagnetic energy interacting with organic media gives rise to nonlinear optical effects. Hibiscus Sabdariffa is a flower whose concentrated solution presents interesting nonlinear optical properties. This organic material shows an important self-phase modulation with changes bigger than 2π. We present a diffraction ring patterns study of the Hibiscus Sabdariffa solution. Numerical results of transmittance, with refraction and simultaneous absorption, are shown.

  12. Structural Phase Transition and Material Properties of Few-Layer Monochalcogenides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehboudi, Mehrshad; Fregoso, Benjamin M; Yang, Yurong; Zhu, Wenjuan; van der Zande, Arend; Ferrer, Jaime; Bellaiche, L; Kumar, Pradeep; Barraza-Lopez, Salvador

    2016-12-09

    GeSe and SnSe monochalcogenide monolayers and bilayers undergo a two-dimensional phase transition from a rectangular unit cell to a square unit cell at a critical temperature T_{c} well below the melting point. Its consequences on material properties are studied within the framework of Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics and density-functional theory. No in-gap states develop as the structural transition takes place, so that these phase-change materials remain semiconducting below and above T_{c}. As the in-plane lattice transforms from a rectangle into a square at T_{c}, the electronic, spin, optical, and piezoelectric properties dramatically depart from earlier predictions. Indeed, the Y and X points in the Brillouin zone become effectively equivalent at T_{c}, leading to a symmetric electronic structure. The spin polarization at the conduction valley edge vanishes, and the hole conductivity must display an anomalous thermal increase at T_{c}. The linear optical absorption band edge must change its polarization as well, making this structural and electronic evolution verifiable by optical means. Much excitement is drawn by theoretical predictions of giant piezoelectricity and ferroelectricity in these materials, and we estimate a pyroelectric response of about 3×10^{-12}  C/K m here. These results uncover the fundamental role of temperature as a control knob for the physical properties of few-layer group-IV monochalcogenides.

  13. Heat transfer characteristics of thermal energy storage of a composite phase change materials: Numerical and experimental investigations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aadmi, Moussa; Karkri, Mustapha; El Hammouti, Mimoun

    2014-01-01

    In the present study, phase change materials based on epoxy resin paraffin wax with the melting point 27 °C were used as a new energy storage system. Thermophysical properties and the process of melting of a PCM (phase change material) composite were investigated numerically and experimentally. DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) has been used for measurement of melting enthalpy and determination of PCM heat capacity. The thermophysical properties of the prepared composite have been characterized by using a new transient hot plate apparatus. The results have shown that the most important thermal properties of these composites at the solid and liquid states are like the “apparent” thermal conductivity, the heat storage capacity and the latent heat of fusion. These experimental results have been simulated by using numerical Comsol ® Multiphysiques 4.3 based models with success. The results of the experimental investigation compare favorably with the numerical results and thus serve to validate the numerical approach. - Highlights: • Phase change materials based on paraffin spheres used as new energy storage system. • Thermophysical properties and the melting process of composites were investigated. • All experimental results have been simulated using Comsol ® Multiphysiques. • The ability to store and release the thermal energy were investigated. • A very thin molten PCM (phase change material) exists which is apparently visible in the spheres

  14. Thermophysical and Mechanical Properties of Hardened Cement Paste with Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials for Energy Storage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongzhi Cui

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In this research, structural-functional integrated cement-based materials were prepared by employing cement paste and a microencapsulated phase change material (MPCM manufactured using urea-formaldehyde resin as the shell and paraffin as the core material. The encapsulation ratio of the MPCM could reach up to 91.21 wt%. Thermal energy storage cement pastes (TESCPs incorporated with different MPCM contents (5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% by weight of cement were developed, and their thermal and mechanical properties were studied. The results showed that the total energy storage capacity of the hardened cement specimens with MPCM increased by up to 3.9-times compared with that of the control cement paste. The thermal conductivity at different temperature levels (35–36 °C, 55–56 °C and 72–74 °C decreased with the increase of MPCM content, and the decrease was the highest when the temperature level was 55–56 °C. Moreover, the compressive strength, flexural strength and density of hardened cement paste decreased with the increase in MPCM content linearly. Among the evaluated properties, the compressive strength of TESCPs had a larger and faster degradation with the increase of MPCM content.

  15. Compare the phase transition properties of VO2 films from infrared to terahertz range

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Shan; Shi, Qiwu; Huang, Wanxia; Peng, Bo; Mao, Zhenya; Zhu, Hongfu

    2018-06-01

    VO2 with reversible semiconductor-metal phase transition properties is particularly available for the application in smart opto-electrical devices. However, there are rare reports on comparing its phase transition properties at different ranges. In this study, the VO2 films are designed with the similar crystalline structure and stoichiometry, but different morphologies by inorganic and organic sol-gel methods, and their phase transition characteristics are compared both at infrared and terahertz range. The results indicate that the VO2 film prepared by inorganic sol-gel method shows more compact nanostructure. It results in larger resistivity change, infrared and terahertz switching ratio in the VO2 film. Moreover, it presents that the phase transition intensity of VO2 film in terahertz range is more sensitive to its microstructure. This work is helpful for understanding the susceptibility of terahertz switching properties of VO2 to its microstructure. And it can provide insights for the applications of VO2 in terahertz smart devices.

  16. Second law analysis of coupled conduction-radiation heat transfer with phase change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makhanlall, D.; Liu, L.H.

    2010-01-01

    This work considers an exergy-based analysis of two-dimensional solid-liquid phase change processes in a square cavity enclosure. The phase change material (PCM) concerns a semi-transparent absorbing, emitting and anisotropically scattering medium with constant thermodynamic properties. The enthalpy-based energy equation is solved numerically using computational fluid dynamics. Once the energy equation is solved, local exergy loss due to heat conduction and radiative heat transfer during the phase change process is calculated by post processing procedures. In this work, the radiation exergy loss in the medium and at the enclosure boundary is taken into consideration. It is found that radiation exergy loss is significant in the high-temperature phase change process. Parametric investigation is also carried out to study the effects of Stefan number, Biot number, Planck number, single scattering albedo and wall emissivity on exergy loss. The results show that the total exergy loss increases with Biot number, single scattering albedo and wall emissivity. The second law effects of the conduction-radiation coupling in the energy equation are also shown in this work. (authors)

  17. A phase change processor method for solving a one-dimensional phase change problem with convection boundary

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Halawa, E.; Saman, W.; Bruno, F. [Institute for Sustainable Systems and Technologies, School of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes SA 5095 (Australia)

    2010-08-15

    A simple yet accurate iterative method for solving a one-dimensional phase change problem with convection boundary is described. The one-dimensional model takes into account the variation in the wall temperature along the direction of the flow as well as the sensible heat during preheating/pre-cooling of the phase change material (PCM). The mathematical derivation of convective boundary conditions has been integrated into a phase change processor (PCP) algorithm that solves the liquid fraction and temperature of the nodes. The algorithm is based on the heat balance at each node as it undergoes heating or cooling which inevitably involves phase change. The paper presents the model and its experimental validation. (author)

  18. Polyethylene Glycol Based Graphene Aerogel Confined Phase Change Materials with High Thermal Stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Yang; Xiong, Weilai; Wang, Jianying; Li, Jinghua; Mei, Tao; Wang, Xianbao

    2018-05-01

    Polyethylene glycol (PEG) based graphene aerogel (GA) confined shaped-stabilized phase change materials (PCMs) are simply prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method. Three-dimensional GA inserted by PEG molecule chains, as a supporting material, obtained by reducing graphene oxide sheets, is used to keep their stabilized shape during a phase change process. The volume of GA is obviously expended after adding PEG, and only 9.8 wt% of GA make the composite achieve high energy efficiency without leakage during their phase change because of hydrogen bonding widely existing in the GA/PEG composites (GA-PCMs). The heat storage energy of GA-PCMs is 164.9 J/g, which is 90.2% of the phase change enthalpy of pure PEG. In addition, this composite inherits the natural thermal properties of graphene and thus shows enhanced thermal conductivity compared with pure PEG. This novel study provides an efficient way to fabricate shape-stabilized PCMs with a high content of PEG for thermal energy storage.

  19. Preparation of CMC-modified melamine resin spherical nano-phase change energy storage materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Xiaofeng; Huang, Zhanhua; Zhang, Yanhua

    2014-01-30

    A novel carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-modified melamine-formaldehyde (MF) phase change capsule with excellent encapsulation was prepared by in situ polymerization. Effects of CMC on the properties of the capsules were studied by Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that the CMC-modified capsules had an average diameter of about 50nm and good uniformity. The phase change enthalpy of the capsules was increased and the cracking ratio decreased by incorporating a suitable amount of CMC. The optimum phase change enthalpy of the nanocapsules was 83.46J/g, and their paraffin content was 63.1%. The heat resistance of the capsule shells decreased after CMC modification. In addition, the nanocapsule cracking ratio of the nanocapsules was 11.0%, which is highly attractive for their application as nano phase change materials. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Fabrication and characterization of nanofiber-nanoparticle-composites with phase change materials by electrospinning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Babapoor, Aziz; Karimi, Gholamreza; Khorram, Mohammad

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Form-stable nanofibers with phase change material are produced by electrospinning. • PA6 and PEG are used as the supporting matrix and phase change material. • Various nanoparticles are used to enhance thermal properties of the fibers. • The nanofiber-nanoparticle composites exhibited desirable thermal stability. • Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles improved thermal conductivity of the composites considerably. - Graphical Abstract: Display Omitted - Abstract: Thermal energy storage has been recognized as one of the most important technologies for the utilization of renewable energy sources and conserving energy. In this investigation, through combination of polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a phase change material (PCM), polyamid6 (PA6) and various nanoparticles (SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 and ZnO) as supporting materials, novel form-stable PCMs-based composites were fabricated by single nozzle electrospinning. The structure, morphology and thermal properties of the prepared nanofiber-nanocomposite-enhanced phase change materials (NEPCMs) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimeter, respectively. Based on the results, nanocomposites-nanofibers were successfully fabricated with high thermal stability and reliability. It is observed that in all composites, the fiber diameter is decreased by increasing the nanoparticles loading. The lowest average diameter obtained was for Fe 2 O 3 composite. Al 2 O 3 composite showed the maximum thermal conductivity enhancement. This study suggests that the fabricated nanocomposite-PCMs offer proper phase transition temperature range and high heat enthalpy values and hence, have potential for thermal energy storage applications.

  1. Novel Formulations of Phase Change Materials—Epoxy Composites for Thermal Energy Storage

    OpenAIRE

    Maria Elena Arce; Miguel Angel Alvarez Feijoo; Andres Suarez Garcia; Claudia C. Luhrs

    2018-01-01

    This research aimed to evaluate the thermal properties of new formulations of phase change materials (PCMs)-epoxy composites, containing a thickening agent and a thermally conductive phase. The composite specimens produced consisted of composites fabricated using (a) inorganic PCMs (hydrated salts), epoxy resins and aluminum particulates or (b) organic PCM (paraffin), epoxy resins, and copper particles. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used to analyze the thermal behavior of the sa...

  2. Sleep Comfort Evaluation in Bedding that Utilized Phase Change Materials (PCM)

    OpenAIRE

    橋本, 一馬; 青井, 政貴; 吉田, 宏昭; 上條, 正義

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to reveal the bedding influence degree to quality of sleep. This bedding utilized Phase Change Materials (PCM). We carried out two experiments. Firstly, we experimentally confirmed thermal properties of the PCM. Secondly, we carried out overnight sleep experiment in hot and cold environment. We prepared the PCM bedding and normal bedding that is commercially-supplied. Consequently, the PCM had been the property of cold tactile sensation rather than the normal bedd...

  3. Properties of form-stable paraffin/silicon dioxide/expanded graphite phase change composites prepared by sol–gel method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Min; Wu, Zhishen; Tan, Jinmiao

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Paraffin/SiO 2 /EG composite PCM was prepared with sol–gel method. ► The thermal conductivity of SiO 2 /paraffin/EG is 94.7% higher than paraffin. ► The latent heat of paraffin/SiO 2 /EG composite is 104.4 J/g. -- Abstract: A form-stable paraffin/silicon dioxide (SiO 2 )/expanded graphite (EG) composite phase change material (PCM) was prepared by sol–gel method. Silica gel acts as the supporting material and EG is used to increase the thermal conductivity. The mass fractions of silicon oxide and graphite are 20.8% and 7.2%, respectively. The composite PCM was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) method. Thermal properties and thermal stability of the composite PCM were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The result shows that paraffin was well dispersed in the network of silica gel and there is no chemical reaction between them. The phase change temperature of the paraffin/SiO 2 composite and the paraffin/SiO 2 /EG composite are 27.53 °C and 27.72 °C, respectively. The latent heat of the paraffin/SiO 2 composite and the paraffin/SiO 2 /EG composite are 112.8 J/g and 104.4 J/g, respectively. The thermal conductivity of the SiO 2 /paraffin composite and the SiO 2 /paraffin/EG composite are 28.2% and 94.7% higher than that of paraffin.

  4. Ga-doped indium oxide nanowire phase change random access memory cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, Bo; Lee, Jeong-Soo; Lim, Taekyung; Ju, Sanghyun; Latypov, Marat I; Kim, Hyoung Seop; Meyyappan, M

    2014-01-01

    Phase change random access memory (PCRAM) devices are usually constructed using tellurium based compounds, but efforts to seek other materials providing desirable memory characteristics have continued. We have fabricated PCRAM devices using Ga-doped In 2 O 3 nanowires with three different Ga compositions (Ga/(In+Ga) atomic ratio: 2.1%, 11.5% and 13.0%), and investigated their phase switching properties. The nanowires (∼40 nm in diameter) can be repeatedly switched between crystalline and amorphous phases, and Ga concentration-dependent memory switching behavior in the nanowires was observed with ultra-fast set/reset rates of 80 ns/20 ns, which are faster than for other competitive phase change materials. The observations of fast set/reset rates and two distinct states with a difference in resistance of two to three orders of magnitude appear promising for nonvolatile information storage. Moreover, we found that increasing the Ga concentration can reduce the power consumption and resistance drift; however, too high a level of Ga doping may cause difficulty in achieving the phase transition. (paper)

  5. Preparation and characterization of nano-sized phase change emulsions as thermal energy storage and transport media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, J.; Zhang, P.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • The nano-sized phase change emulsions are prepared by using D-phase method. • The thermo-physical and transport properties are experimentally investigated. • The influence of surfactant on the melting temperature and latent heat of water is clarified. • The phase change emulsion can be used as the heat transfer fluid in a thermal energy storage system. - Abstract: Phase change emulsion (PCE) is a kind of two-phase heat transfer fluid with phase change material (PCM) dispersed in carrier fluid. It has received intensive attractions in recent years due to the fact that it can be used as both the thermal energy storage material and transport medium simultaneously in a thermal energy storage system. In the present study, nano-sized PCEs are prepared by the D-phase method with n-hexadecane and n-octadecane as PCMs. The thermo-physical and transport properties are characterized to facilitate the applications. The droplet size distribution of the PCE is measured by a Photon Correlation Spectroscopy, and the results show that the droplet size distributions are similar at different mass fractions. The rheological behavior and viscosity of the PCE are measured by a rheometer, which shows that the PCEs at mass fractions below 30.0 wt% are Newtonian fluids, and the viscosities are dependent on both the mass fraction and temperature. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is employed to analyze the phase change characteristics of the PCE, and the results indicate large supercooling degree of water and PCM in the PCE. The melting temperature and latent heat of water in the PCE are much smaller than those of pure water. The thermal conductivities of the PCE with different mass fractions at different temperatures are measured by the transient hot-wire method. Furthermore, the energy transport characteristics of the PCEs are evaluated on the basis of the measured thermo-physical and transport properties. The results suggest that the PCEs show a drastic

  6. Analyse of possibilities of increasing housing energy efficiency by application of phase-changing materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vučeljić-Vavan Sanja

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Refurbishment of existing building stock using energy-saving phase-changing smart materials and technologies, in addition to improved indoor climatic conditions, offer an opportunity for increasing housing energy efficiency and value. This fast developing technology becomes increasingly cost-effective with much shorter payback periods. However, it is undertaken only on a limited scale; because of lack of knowledge about their changeable properties and dynamism in that they behave in response to energy fields. Main characteristics, which make them different form others, are: immediacy transience, self-actuation, selectivity and directness. Phase change processes invariably involve the absorbing, storing or releasing of large amounts of energy in the form of latent heat. These processes are reversible and phase-changing materials can undergo an unlimited number of cycles without degradation. Since phase-changing materials can be designed to absorb or release energy at predictable temperatures, they have naturally been explored for use in architecture as a way of helping deal with the thermal environment in a building. Technologies based on sealing phase-changing materials into small pellets have achieved widespread use in connection with radiant floor heating systems, phase change wallboards, mortar or facade systems. Thermal characteristics of existing buildings can be improved on increasing their thermal-stored mass by implementation products of phase-changing smart materials. In addition to contributing to carbon reduction and energy security, using phase-changing materials in the building sector stimulates innovations.

  7. Studies on thermal properties and thermal control effectiveness of a new shape-stabilized phase change material with high thermal conductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng Wenlong; Liu Na; Wu Wanfan

    2012-01-01

    In order to overcome the difficulty of conventional phase change materials (PCMs) in packaging, the shape-stabilized PCMs are proposed to be used in the electronic device thermal control. However, the conventional shape-stabilized PCMs have the drawback of lower thermal conductivity, so a new shape-stabilized PCM with high thermal conductivity, which is suitable for thermal control of electronic devices, is prepared. The thermal properties of n-octadecane-based shape-stabilized PCM are tested and analyzed. The heat storage/release performance is studied by numerical simulation. Its thermal control effect for electronic devices is also discussed. The results show that the expanded graphite (EG) can greatly improve the thermal conductivity of the material with little effect on latent heat and phase change temperature. When the mass fraction of EG is 5%, thermal conductivity has reached 1.76 W/(m K), which is over 4 times than that of the original one. Moreover, the material has larger latent heat and good thermal stability. The simulation results show that the material can have good heat storage/release performance. The analysis of the effect of thermal parameters on thermal control effect for electronic devices provides references to the design of phase change thermal control unit. - Highlights: ► A new shape-stabilized PCM with higher thermal conductivity is prepared. ► The material overcomes the packaging difficulty of traditional PCMs used in thermal control unit. ► The EG greatly improves thermal conductivity with little effect on latent heat. ► The material has high thermal stability and good heat storage/release performance. ► The effectiveness of the material for electronic device thermal control is proved.

  8. Investigations of binary and ternary phase change alloys for future memory applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rausch, Pascal

    2012-09-13

    The understanding of phase change materials is of great importance because it enables us to predict properties and tailor alloys which might be even better suitable to tackle challenges of future memory applications. Within this thesis two topics have been approached: on the one hand the understanding of the alloy In{sub 3}Sb{sub 1}Te{sub 2} and on the other hand the so called resistivity drift of amorphous Ge-Sn-Te phase change materials. The main topic covers an in depth discussion of the ternary alloy In{sub 3}Sb{sub 1}Te{sub 2}. At first glance, this alloy does not fit into the established concepts of phase alloys: e.g. the existence of resonant bonding in the crystalline phase is not obvious and the number of p-electrons is very low compared to other phase change alloys. Furthermore amorphous phase change alloys with high indium content are usually not discussed in literature, an exception being the recent work by Spreafico et al. on InGeTe{sub 2}. For the first time a complete description of In{sub 3}Sb{sub 1}Te{sub 2} alloy is given in this work for the crystalline phase, amorphous phase and crystallization process. In addition comparisons are drawn to typical phase change materials like Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5}/GeTe or prototype systems like AgInTe{sub 2} and InTe. The second topic of this thesis deals with the issue of resistivity drift, i.e. the increase of resistivity of amorphous phase change alloys with aging. This drift effect greatly hampers the introduction of multilevel phase change memory devices into the market. Recently a systematic decrease of drift coefficient with stoichiometry has been observed in our group going from GeTe over Ge{sub 3}Sn{sub 1}Te{sub 4} to Ge{sub 2}Sn{sub 2}Te{sub 4}. These alloys are investigated with respect to constraint theory.

  9. Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Zn-Y alloy containing LPSO phase and I-phase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Zhijian; Teng, Xinying; Lou, Gui; Zhou, Guorong; Leng, Jinfeng

    2017-08-01

    Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Zn-Y alloy including LPSO phase and I-phase was investigated. Transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction analysis and differential scanning calorimeter analysis reveal that the LPSO (long period stacking ordered structure) phase and I-phase can co-exist within the α-Mg matrix. Wherein, the quasicrystal phases exist in the (I-phase  +  α-Mg) eutectic structures. In the Mg-Zn-Y alloy, it is also found that 14 H type LPSO phases consist of LPSO phase and I-phase. With the addition of quasicrystal master alloy content, the microstructures are refined, and the mechanical properties are enhanced.

  10. Engineering Changes During the Service Phase

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vianello, Giovanna; Ahmed, Saeema

    2008-01-01

    This paper focuses upon understanding the characteristics of engineering changes, in particular changes that emerge during the service phase of complex products, and on how these changes can be related to the product development process. For this purpose, a set of engineering change reports from...... an aerospace engine has been analyzed and the findings have been compared with change documentation from drilling machinery for the oil industry. These findings give insights into which phases of the design process should be modified in order to reduce the number of change requests from the service phase...... and to enable designers to efficiently answer the unavoidable change requests. This can be used to improve the product development process in order to take into account the factors leading to changes....

  11. How phase composition influences optoelectronic and photocatalytic properties of TiO2

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Carneiro, J.T.; Carneiro, Joana T.; Savenije, Tom J.; Moulijn, Jacob A.; Mul, Guido

    2011-01-01

    In the present study the ratio of rutile and anatase phases in sol−gel-synthe-sized TiO2 was varied by calcination at temperatures ranging from 500 to 900 °C. Changes in opto-electronic properties were analyzed by time-resolved microwave conductance measurements (TRMC) and evaluated by comparison of

  12. Multiphase flows with phase change

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Multiphase flows with phase change are ubiquitous in many industrial sectors ranging from energy and infra-structure to specialty chemicals and pharmaceuticals. My own interest in mul- tiphase flows with phase change started more than 15 years ago when I had initiated work on riser reactor for fluid catalytic cracking and ...

  13. Enhancement in thermal property and mechanical property of phase change microcapsule with modified carbon nanotube

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Min; Chen, Meirong; Wu, Zhishen

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Carbon nanotubes was grafted and used to enhance the thermal conductivities of the microcapsules. • The average particle size of the prepared MicroPCMs/CNTs-SA is 0.1 μm. • The thermal conductivity of MicroPCMs/CNTs-SA with 4% of CNTs increased by 79.2% compared with MicroPCMs. • MicroPCMs/CNTs-SA has better durability and thermal stability compared to the original MicroPCMs. - Abstract: Carbon nanotubes grafted with stearyl alcohol (CNTs-SA) was used in synthesizing phase change microcapsules (MicroPCMs) in order to enhance the thermal conductivities of the microcapsules. Urea–formaldehyde resin (UFR) was used as wall material. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), laser particle size analyzer, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) are employed to characterize the prepared MicroPCMs containing the grafted CNTs (MicroPCMs/CNTs-SA). The results indicated that CNTs improved the performance of microcapsules. The average particle diameter of MicroPCMs/CNTs-SA is much smaller than that of MicroPCMs. There was no chemical reaction among paraffin, CNTs and UFR. The phase change temperature and latent heat of MicroPCMs/CNTs-SA was 26.2 °C and 47.7 J/g, respectively. The thermal conductivity of MicroPCMs/CNTs-SA with 4% of CNTs increased by 79.2% compared with MicroPCMs. The initial decomposition temperature of MicroPCMs/CNTs-SA is 38 °C higher than that of MicroPCMs. After 100 heating and cooling cycles, MicroPCMs/CNTs-SA still has good durability and thermal stability

  14. Experiment study on the thermal properties of paraffin/kaolin thermal energy storage form-stable phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lv, Peizhao; Liu, Chenzhen; Rao, Zhonghao

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Different particle sizes of kaolin were employed to load paraffin. • The effects and reasons of particle size on thermal conductivity were studied. • Thermal property and thermal stability of the composites were investigated. • The leakage and thermal storage and release rate of the composites were studied. • The effect of vacuum impregnation method on thermal conductivity was investigated. - Abstract: In this paper, different particle sizes of kaolin were employed to incorporate paraffin via vacuum impregnation method. The paraffin/kaolin composites were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and Thermogravimetry (TG). The results showed that the paraffin/kaolin composite with the largest particle size of kaolin (K4) has the highest thermal conductivity (0.413 W/(m K) at 20 °C) among the diverse composites. The latent heat capacity of paraffin/K4 is 119.49 J/g and the phase change temperature is 62.4 °C. In addition, the thermal properties and thermal conductivities of paraffin/K4 with different mass fraction of K4 (0–60%) were investigated. The thermal conductivities of the composites were explained in microcosmic field. The phonon mean free path determines the thermal conductivity, and it can be significantly affected by temperature and the contact surface area. The leaks, thermal storage and release properties of pure paraffin and paraffin/kaolin composites were investigated and the composites presented good thermal stabilities.

  15. Enabling universal memory by overcoming the contradictory speed and stability nature of phase-change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Weijie; Loke, Desmond; Shi, Luping; Zhao, Rong; Yang, Hongxin; Law, Leong-Tat; Ng, Lung-Tat; Lim, Kian-Guan; Yeo, Yee-Chia; Chong, Tow-Chong; Lacaita, Andrea L

    2012-01-01

    The quest for universal memory is driving the rapid development of memories with superior all-round capabilities in non-volatility, high speed, high endurance and low power. Phase-change materials are highly promising in this respect. However, their contradictory speed and stability properties present a key challenge towards this ambition. We reveal that as the device size decreases, the phase-change mechanism changes from the material inherent crystallization mechanism (either nucleation- or growth-dominated), to the hetero-crystallization mechanism, which resulted in a significant increase in PCRAM speeds. Reducing the grain size can further increase the speed of phase-change. Such grain size effect on speed becomes increasingly significant at smaller device sizes. Together with the nano-thermal and electrical effects, fast phase-change, good stability and high endurance can be achieved. These findings lead to a feasible solution to achieve a universal memory.

  16. Preparation and characterization of macrocapsules containing microencapsulated PCMs (phase change materials) for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Pengju; Lu, Lixin; Qiu, Xiaolin; Tang, Yali; Wang, Jun

    2015-01-01

    This paper was aimed to prepare, characterize and determine the comprehensive evaluation of promising composite macrocapsules containing microencapsulated PCMs (phase change materials) with calcium alginate gels as the matrix material. Macrocapsules containing microcapsules were fabricated by piercing-solidifying incuber method. Two kinds of microcapsules with n-tetradecane as core material, UF (urea-formaldehyde) and PMMA (poly(methyl methacrylate)) respectively as shell materials were prepared initially. For application concerns, thermal durability and mechanical property of macrocapsules were investigated by TGA (thermal gravimetric analysis) and Texture Analyser for the first time, respectively. The results showed excellent thermal stability and the compressive resistance of macrocapsules was sufficient for common application. The morphology and chemical structure of the prepared microcapsules and macrocapsules were characterized by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and FT-IR (fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy method. Phase change behaviors and thermal durability of microcapsules and macrocapsules were investigated by DSC (differential scanning calorimetry). In order to improve latent heat of composite microcapsules, the core-shell weight ratio of tetradecane/UF shell microcapsules was chosen as 5.5:1 which obtained the phase change enthalpy of 194.1 J g −1 determined by DSC. In conclusion, these properties make it a feasible composite in applications of textile, building and cold-chain transportation. - Highlights: • We improved the phase change enthalpy with a higher core-shell ratio. • Urea-formaldehyde was firstly used as a shell material in the composite. • Mechanical and thermal durability property of the macrocapsules was firstly investigated in our work.

  17. Interface Characterization of Metals and Metal-nitrides to Phase Change Materials

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roy, Deepu; Gravesteijn, Dirk J; Wolters, Robertus A.M.

    2011-01-01

    We have investigated the interfacial contact properties of the CMOS compatible electrode materials W, TiW, Ta, TaN and TiN to doped-Sb2Te phase change material (PCM). This interface is characterized both in the amorphous and in the crystalline state of the doped-Sb2Te. The electrical nature of the

  18. Novel Shape-Stabilized Phase Change Materials Composed of Polyethylene Glycol/Nonsurfactant-Templated Mesoporous Silica: Preparation and Thermal Properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yan; Zhu, Yingying; Wang, Jinbao; Lv, Mengjiao; Zhang, Xiongjie; Gao, Junkai; Zhang, Zijun; Lei, Hao

    2017-12-01

    A novel shape-stabilized phase change material (PEG/TAMS), fabricated using tannic acid-templated mesoporous silica (TAMS) as a support for polyethylene glycol, was developed for thermal energy storage. The method used to synthesize TAMS was simple, cost effective, environmentally friendly, and free of surfactant. The characterization results indicated that PEG was physically absorbed to TAMS and that TAMS had no influence on the crystal structure of PEG. According to the TGA thermograms, PEG/TAMS has excellent thermal stability and can be applied over a wide temperature range. Additionally, the differential scanning calorimetry results suggested that PEG/TAMS has good thermal properties and that its fusion and solidification enthalpies reached 114.7 J/g and 102.4 J/g, respectively. The results indicated that PEG/TAMS has great potential for practical applications.

  19. Thermal energy storage properties of mannitol–fatty acid esters as novel organic solid–liquid phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sari, Ahmet

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Four kinds of mannitol–fatty acid esters were synthesized as novel organic PCMs for thermal energy storage applications. ► The synthesized PCMs were characterized using FT-IR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, DSC and TGA methods and thermal cycling test. ► The melting temperatures and latent heat values of the PCMs were in the range of 42–65 °C and 145–202 J/g, respectively. ► Thermal conductivity of the PCMs was increased significantly by addition of EG with especially 10 wt%. ► The synthesized PCMs are promising organic PCMs for solar heating applications. - Abstract: In this study, four kinds of mannitol–fatty acid esters were synthesized as novel organic phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage applications. The structural characterization of synthesized mannitol hexastearate (MHS), mannitol hexapalmitate (MHP), mannitol hexamyristate (MHM) and mannitol hexalaurate (MHL) were carried out using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ( 1 H NMR), and 13 C NMR spectroscopy methods. Thermal energy storage properties and thermal reliability of the synthesized PCMs were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) method at a heating rate of 1 °C/min. DSC results showed that the melting temperatures of the PCMs were in the temperature range of 42–65 °C and their latent heat values spanned between 145 and 202 J/g. The latent heats of these PCMs are low compared to mannitol but they fall into the same range as fatty acids. The synthesized PCMs have much lower phase change temperatures and supercooling degree (about 1–8 °C) and compared to the mannitol. They have also better odor, noncorrosivity and thermal durability properties as compared to the fatty acids. Thermal cycling test consisted of repeated 1000 melting/solidification cycles also revealed that the synthesized PCMs have good thermal reliability. In addition, thermal conductivity of the PCMs was increased significantly by

  20. Preparation and Performance Analysis of Na2SO4·10H2O/EG Composite Phase-change Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LENG Cong-bin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Sodium sulfate decahydrate/expanded graphite composite phase-change material (Na2SO4·10H2O/EG was prepared by vacuum adsorption method.The thermal properties of Na2SO4·10H2O/EG,such as melting-solidification,phase separation,supercooling and latent heat were tested and analyzed.The results show that with the addition of 2%(mass fraction borax and 8% EG,the composite phase-change materials Na2SO4·10H2O/EG obtain ideal properties.The phase separation is eliminated,the supercooling degree of Na2SO4·10H2O is reduced from 13.6℃ to below 0.6℃,the latent heat and the energy storage density of the phase-change materials reach 225.77kJ·kg-1 and 218.09MJ·m-3 respectively.The thermal conductivity is also greatly improved.Compared with Na2SO4·10H2O with the addition of the nucleating agent borax only,the time for heat storage is shortened by 52.6%,and the time for heat release is shortened by 55.1%.Even after 500 times of rapid heating and cooling cycles,the performance of Na2SO4·10H2O/EG does not deteriorate.The novel composite phase-change material has better storage/exothermic properties.

  1. Picosecond laser pulse-driven crystallization behavior of SiSb phase change memory thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Huan; Li Simian; Zhai Fengxiao; Wang Yang; Lai Tianshu; Wu Yiqun; Gan Fuxi

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → We reported crystallization dynamics of a novel SiSb phase change material. → We measured optical constants of as-deposited and irradiated SiSb areas. → Optical properties of as-deposited and irradiated SiSb thin film were compared. → Crystallization of irradiated SiSb was confirmed by using AFM and micro-Raman spectra. → The heat conduction effect of lower metal layer of multi-layer films was studied. - Abstract: Transient phase change crystallization process of SiSb phase change thin films under the irradiation of picosecond (ps) laser pulse was studied using time-resolved reflectivity measurements. The ps laser pulse-crystallized domains were characterized by atomic force microscope, Raman spectra and ellipsometrical spectra measurements. A reflectivity contrast of about 15% can be achieved by ps laser pulse-induced crystallization. A minimum crystallization time of 11 ns was achieved by a low-fluence single ps laser pulse after pre-irradiation. SiSb was shown to be very promising for fast phase change memory applications.

  2. Phase-Change Memory Properties of Electrodeposited Ge-Sb-Te Thin Film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Ruomeng; Kissling, Gabriela P.; Jolleys, Andrew; Bartlett, Philip N.; Hector, Andrew L.; Levason, William; Reid, Gillian; De Groot, C. H. `Kees'

    2015-11-01

    We report the properties of a series of electrodeposited Ge-Sb-Te alloys with various compositions. It is shown that the Sb/Ge ratio can be varied in a controlled way by changing the electrodeposition potential. This method opens up the prospect of depositing Ge-Sb-Te super-lattice structures by electrodeposition. Material and electrical characteristics of various compositions have been investigated in detail, showing up to three orders of magnitude resistance ratio between the amorphous and crystalline states and endurance up to 1000 cycles.

  3. Effect of N-isopropylacrylamide on the preparation and properties of microencapsulated phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Dan; Wang, Jianping; Wang, Yanan; Li, Wei; Wang, Xuechen; Shi, Haifeng; Zhang, Xingxiang

    2016-01-01

    NIPAm (N-isopropylacrylamide), a thermosensitive monomer, was introduced into a system for synthesis of MicroPCMs (microencapsulated phase change materials) through free radical emulsion polymerization with n-oct (n-octadecane) as the core and cross-linked PMMA (poly (methyl methacrylate)) as the shell. The effect of NIPAm on the formation mechanism, surface morphologies, crystallization properties, and thermal stabilities of the MicroPCMs were studied using FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), SEM (scanning electron microscopy), DSC (differential scanning calorimetry), and TGA (thermogravimetric analysis), respectively. The results indicate that addition of NIPAm causes a significant increase in the enthalpy of the heterogeneous nucleation (approximately 2–4 times more than without NIPAm). The diameter distribution of microcapsules becomes narrower (the PDI (polydispersity index) has a minimum of 0.073) and the encapsulation ratio and encapsulation efficiency increase. On the contrary, the microcapsules that have some irregular holes were obtained by adding NIPAm prepolymer. - Highlights: • We designed and synthesized a lower supercooling microPCMs with the PNIPAm as nucleating agent. • Optimum dosage of monomer PNIPAm is 1.8 g. • The mass loss of microcapsules is less than 0.6% after repeated thermal cycling. • The formation mechanism of the microcapsules is discussed.

  4. Preparation, thermal and flammability properties of a novel form-stable phase change materials based on high density polyethylene/poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate)/organophilic montmorillonite nanocomposites/paraffin compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai Yibing; Song Lei; He Qingliang; Yang Dandan; Hu Yuan

    2008-01-01

    The paraffin is one of important thermal energy storage materials with many desirable characteristics (i.e., high heat of fusion, varied phase change temperature, negligible supercooling, self-nucleating, no phase segregation and cheap, etc.), but has low thermal stability and flammable. Hence, a novel form-stable phase change materials (PCM) based on high density polyethylene (HDPE)/poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA)/organophilic montmorillonite (OMT) nanocomposites and paraffin are prepared by twin-screw extruder technique. The structures of the HDPE-EVA/OMT nanocomposites and the form-stable PCM are evidenced by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) and scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The results of XRD and TEM show that the HDPE-EVA/OMT nanocomposites form the ordered intercalated nanomorphology. The form-stable PCM consists of the paraffin, which acts as a dispersed phase change material and the HDPE-EVA/OMT nanocomposites, which acts as the supporting material. The paraffin disperses in the three-dimensional net structure formed by HDPE-EVA/OMT nanocomposites. The thermal stability, latent heat and flammability properties are characterized by thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), dynamic Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and cone calorimeter, respectively. The TGA and dynamic FTIR analyses indicate that the incorporation of suitable amount of OMT into the form-stable PCM increase the thermal stability. The DSC results show that the latent heat of the form-stable PCM has a certain degree decrease. The cone calorimeter shows that the heat release rate (HRR) has remarkably decreases with loading of OMT in the form-stable PCM, contributing to the improved flammability properties

  5. Characterization of a lime-pozzolan plaster containing phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pavlíková, Milena; Pavlík, Zbyšek; Trník, Anton; Pokorný, Jaroslav; Černý, Robert

    2015-01-01

    A PCM (Phase Change Material) modified lime-pozzolan plaster for improvement of thermal energy storage of building envelopes is studied in the paper. The investigated plaster is composed of lime hydrate, pozzolan admixture based on metakaolin and mudstone, silica sand, water and paraffin wax encapsulated in polymer capsule. The reference plaster without PCM application is studied as well. The analyzed materials are characterized by bulk density, matrix density, total open porosity, compressive strength and pore size distribution. The temperature of phase change, heat of fusion and crystallization are studied using DSC (Difference Scanning Calorimetry) analysis performed in air atmosphere. In order to get information on materials hygrothermal performance, determination of thermal and hygric properties is done in laboratory conditions. Experimental data reveal a substantial improvement of heat storage capacity of PCM-modified plaster as compared to the reference material without PCM

  6. Ab Initio Molecular-Dynamics Simulation of Neuromorphic Computing in Phase-Change Memory Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skelton, Jonathan M; Loke, Desmond; Lee, Taehoon; Elliott, Stephen R

    2015-07-08

    We present an in silico study of the neuromorphic-computing behavior of the prototypical phase-change material, Ge2Sb2Te5, using ab initio molecular-dynamics simulations. Stepwise changes in structural order in response to temperature pulses of varying length and duration are observed, and a good reproduction of the spike-timing-dependent plasticity observed in nanoelectronic synapses is demonstrated. Short above-melting pulses lead to instantaneous loss of structural and chemical order, followed by delayed partial recovery upon structural relaxation. We also investigate the link between structural order and electrical and optical properties. These results pave the way toward a first-principles understanding of phase-change physics beyond binary switching.

  7. Stochastic modelling of two-phase flows including phase change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hurisse, O.; Minier, J.P.

    2011-01-01

    Stochastic modelling has already been developed and applied for single-phase flows and incompressible two-phase flows. In this article, we propose an extension of this modelling approach to two-phase flows including phase change (e.g. for steam-water flows). Two aspects are emphasised: a stochastic model accounting for phase transition and a modelling constraint which arises from volume conservation. To illustrate the whole approach, some remarks are eventually proposed for two-fluid models. (authors)

  8. Schottky barrier formation at amorphous-crystalline interfaces of GeSb phase change materials

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kroezen, H. J.; Eising, G.; ten Brink, Gert; Palasantzas, G.; Kooi, B. J.; Pauza, A.

    2012-01-01

    The electrical properties of amorphous-crystalline interfaces in phase change materials, which are important for rewritable optical data storage and for random access memory devices, have been investigated by surface scanning potential microscopy. Analysis of GeSb systems indicates that the surface

  9. Modeling and impacts of the latent heat of phase change and specific heat for phase change materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scoggin, J.; Khan, R. S.; Silva, H.; Gokirmak, A.

    2018-05-01

    We model the latent heats of crystallization and fusion in phase change materials with a unified latent heat of phase change, ensuring energy conservation by coupling the heat of phase change with amorphous and crystalline specific heats. We demonstrate the model with 2-D finite element simulations of Ge2Sb2Te5 and find that the heat of phase change increases local temperature up to 180 K in 300 nm × 300 nm structures during crystallization, significantly impacting grain distributions. We also show in electrothermal simulations of 45 nm confined and 10 nm mushroom cells that the higher amorphous specific heat predicted by this model increases nucleation probability at the end of reset operations. These nuclei can decrease set time, leading to variability, as demonstrated for the mushroom cell.

  10. Recent progresses and achievements in photovoltaic-phase change material technology: A review with special treatment on photovoltaic thermal-phase change material systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Islam, M.M.; Pandey, A.K.; Hasanuzzaman, M.; Rahim, N.A.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Broad summary of phase change materials based cooling for photovoltaic modules. • Compendium on phase change materials that are mostly used in photovoltaic systems. • Extension of heat availability period by 75–100% with phase change material. • Heat storage potential improves by 33–50% more with phase change material. • Future trend and move in photovoltaic thermal research. - Abstract: This communication lays out an appraisal on the recent works of phase change materials based thermal management techniques for photovoltaic systems with special focus on the so called photovoltaic thermal-phase change material system. Attempt has also been made to draw wide-ranging classification of both photovoltaic and photovoltaic thermal systems and their conventional cooling or heat harvesting methods developed so far so that feasible phase change materials application area in these systems can be pointed out. In addition, a brief literature on phase change materials with particular focus on their solar application has also been presented. Overview of the researches and studies establish that using phase change materials for photovoltaic thermal control is technically viable if some issues like thermal conductivity or phase stability are properly addressed. The photovoltaic thermal-phase change material systems are found to offer 33% (maximum 50%) more heat storage potential than the conventional photovoltaic-thermal water system and that with 75–100% extended heat availability period and around 9% escalation in output. Reduction in temperature attained with photovoltaic thermal-phase change material system is better than that with regular photovoltaic-thermal water system, too. Studies also show the potential of another emerging technology of photovoltaic thermal-microencapsulated phase change material system that makes use of microencapsulated phase change materials in thermal regulation. Future focus areas on photovoltaic thermal-phase change

  11. Electrical properties and features of the crystallization behaviour and the phase morphology of polyethylene blends

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolesov, I.S.; Radusch, H.-J.; Kolesov, S.N.

    1999-01-01

    It was discovered that polyethylene blends show a typical concentration dependence of the specific electrical resistance and the electrical strength measured by the surge voltage method. The concentration dependencies show two local maxima at definite blend compositions (ω LDPE = 0,2 to 0,4 and 0,7 to 0,8). The results of investigation of the melt and crystallization behavior as well as of the supermolecular structure of these blends point out that the changes caused by mixing in topology and packaging density of the inter-phases between the phases and crystallites have an influence on the electrical properties of the polyethylene blends in correspondence to the composition. The changed structure-property relationships are caused essentially by a possible co-crystallization of the components and by the interactions at separate seeds formation. (orig.)

  12. Three-dimensional nanomechanical mapping of amorphous and crystalline phase transitions in phase-change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grishin, Ilja; Huey, Bryan D; Kolosov, Oleg V

    2013-11-13

    The nanostructure of micrometer-sized domains (bits) in phase-change materials (PCM) that undergo switching between amorphous and crystalline phases plays a key role in the performance of optical PCM-based memories. Here, we explore the dynamics of such phase transitions by mapping PCM nanostructures in three dimensions with nanoscale resolution by combining precision Ar ion beam cross-sectional polishing and nanomechanical ultrasonic force microscopy (UFM) mapping. Surface and bulk phase changes of laser written submicrometer to micrometer sized amorphous-to-crystalline (SET) and crystalline-to-amorphous (RESET) bits in chalcogenide Ge2Sb2Te5 PCM are observed with 10-20 nm lateral and 4 nm depth resolution. UFM mapping shows that the Young's moduli of crystalline SET bits exceed the moduli of amorphous areas by 11 ± 2%, with crystalline content extending from a few nanometers to 50 nm in depth depending on the energy of the switching pulses. The RESET bits written with 50 ps pulses reveal shallower depth penetration and show 30-50 nm lateral and few nanometer vertical wavelike topography that is anticorrelated with the elastic modulus distribution. Reverse switching of amorphous RESET bits results in the full recovery of subsurface nanomechanical properties accompanied with only partial topography recovery, resulting in surface corrugations attributed to quenching. This precision sectioning and nanomechanical mapping approach could be applicable to a wide range of amorphous, nanocrystalline, and glass-forming materials for 3D nanomechanical mapping of amorphous-crystalline transitions.

  13. Entransy in phase-change systems

    CERN Document Server

    Gu, Junjie

    2014-01-01

    Entransy in Phase-Change Systems summarizes recent developments in the area of entransy, especially on phase-change processes. This book covers new developments in the area including the great potential for energy saving for process industries, decreasing carbon dioxide emissions, reducing energy bills and improving overall efficiency of systems. This concise volume is an ideal book for engineers and scientists in energy-related industries.

  14. Electron-irradiation induced changes in structural and magnetic properties of Fe and Co based metallic glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kane, S.N., E-mail: kane_sn@yahoo.com [School of Physics, D.A. University, Khandwa Road Campus, Indore 452001 (India); Satalkar, M., E-mail: satalkar.manvi@gmail.com [School of Physics, D.A. University, Khandwa Road Campus, Indore 452001 (India); Ghosh, A.; Shah, M. [School of Physics, D.A. University, Khandwa Road Campus, Indore 452001 (India); Ghodke, N. [UGC-DAE CSR, University Campus, Khandwa Road, Indore 452001 (India); Pramod, R.; Sinha, A.K.; Singh, M.N.; Dwivedi, J. [Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, P.O. CAT, Indore 452013 (India); Coisson, M.; Celegato, F.; Vinai, F.; Tiberto, P. [INRIM, Electromagnetism Division, Strada Delle Cacce 91, I-10135 TO (Italy); Varga, L.K. [RISSPO, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 49, 1525 Budapest (Hungary)

    2014-12-05

    Highlights: • Enhancement of Ms by low electron irradiation dose in Fe-based alloy. • Variation of magnetic properties by electron irradiation induced ordered phase. • Electron irradiation alters TM-TM distance and, magnetic properties. - Abstract: Electron-irradiation induced changes in structural and, magnetic properties of Co{sub 57.6}Fe{sub 14.4}Si{sub 4.8}B{sub 19.2}Nb{sub 4}, Fe{sub 72}Si{sub 4.8}B{sub 19.2}Nb{sub 4} and, Co{sub 72}Si{sub 4.8}B{sub 19.2}Nb{sub 4} metallic glasses were studied using magnetic hysteresis and, synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements. Results reveal composition dependent changes of magnetic properties in electron irradiated metallic glasses. A low electron irradiation dose (15 kGy) enhances saturation magnetization (up to 62%) in Fe-based alloy (Fe{sub 72}Si{sub 4.8}B{sub 19.2}Nb{sub 4}). Synchrotron XRD measurements reveal that electron irradiation transforms the amorphous matrix to a more ordered phase, accountable for changes in magnetic properties.

  15. Consistent phase-change modeling for CO2-based heat mining operation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Singh, Ashok Kumar; Veje, Christian

    2017-01-01

    The accuracy of mathematical modeling of phase-change phenomena is limited if a simple, less accurate equation of state completes the governing partial differential equation. However, fluid properties (such as density, dynamic viscosity and compressibility) and saturation state are calculated using...... a highly accurate, complex equation of state. This leads to unstable and inaccurate simulation as the equation of state and governing partial differential equations are mutually inconsistent. In this study, the volume-translated Peng–Robinson equation of state was used with emphasis to model the liquid......–gas phase transition with more accuracy and consistency. Calculation of fluid properties and saturation state were based on the volume translated Peng–Robinson equation of state and results verified. The present model has been applied to a scenario to simulate a CO2-based heat mining process. In this paper...

  16. Phase change materials handbook

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hale, D. V.; Hoover, M. J.; Oneill, M. J.

    1971-01-01

    This handbook is intended to provide theory and data needed by the thermal design engineer to bridge the gap between research achievements and actual flight systems, within the limits of the current state of the art of phase change materials (PCM) technology. The relationship between PCM and more conventional thermal control techniques is described and numerous space and terrestrial applications of PCM are discussed. Material properties of the most promising PCMs are provided; the purposes and use of metallic filler materials in PCM composites are presented; and material compatibility considerations relevant to PCM design are included. The engineering considerations of PCM design are described, especially those pertaining to the thermodynamic and heat transfer phenomena peculiar to PCM design. Methods of obtaining data not currently available are presented. The special problems encountered in the space environment are described. Computational tools useful to the designer are discussed. In summary, each aspect of the PCM problem important to the design engineer is covered to the extent allowed by the scope of this effort and the state of the art.

  17. Preparation and properties studies of halogen-free flame retardant form-stable phase change materials based on paraffin/high density polyethylene composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai Yibing; Wei Qufu; Huang Fenglin; Gao Weidong

    2008-01-01

    The halogen-free flame retardant form-stable phase change materials (PCM) based on paraffin/high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites were prepared by using twin-screw extruder technique. The structures and properties of the form-stable PCM composites based on intumescent flame retardant system with expandable graphite (EG) and different synergistic additives, such as ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and zinc borate (ZB) were characterized by scanning electronic microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), dynamic Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and Cone calorimeter test. The TGA results showed that the halogen-free flame retardant form-stable PCM composites produced a larger amount of charred residue at 700 deg. C, although the onset of weight loss of the halogen-free flame retardant form-stable PCM composites occurred at a lower temperature due to the thermal decomposition of flame retardant. The DSC measurements indicated that the additives of flame retardant had little effect on the thermal energy storage property, and the temperatures of phase change peaks and the latent heat of the paraffin showed better occurrence during the freezing process. The dynamic FTIR monitoring results revealed that the breakdowns of main chains (HDPE and paraffin) and formations of various residues increased with increasing thermo-oxidation temperature. It was also found from the Cone calorimeter tests that the peak of heat release rate (PHRR) decreased significantly. Both the decrease of the PHRR and the structure of charred residue after combustion indicated that there was a synergistic effect between the EG and APP, contributing to the improved flammability of the halogen-free flame retardant form-stable PCM composites

  18. Positivity properties of phase-plane distribution functions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janssen, A.J.E.M.

    1984-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to compare the members of Cohen's class of phase-plane distributions with respect to positivity properties. It is known that certain averages (which are in a sense compatible with Heisenberg's uncertainty principle) of the Wigner distribution over the phase-plane yield

  19. Physicomechanical properties of single- and two-phase polycrystalline materials on micro- and macroscopic levels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuksa, L.V.; Arzamaskova, L.M.

    2000-01-01

    The results of studies on elastic and plastic properties of the single- and two-phase polycrystalline materials in dependence on the choice of the consideration scale level are presented. The experimental and theoretical methods, making it possible to study the role of the scale factor by consideration on the micro- and macrolevel and the peculiarities of forming the physicomechanical properties of the material as a whole, are developed. The dependences, characterizing the change of the physicomechanical properties by different scales of consideration, are obtained [ru

  20. Theoretical potential for low energy consumption phase change memory utilizing electrostatically-induced structural phase transitions in 2D materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rehn, Daniel A.; Li, Yao; Pop, Eric; Reed, Evan J.

    2018-01-01

    Structural phase-change materials are of great importance for applications in information storage devices. Thermally driven structural phase transitions are employed in phase-change memory to achieve lower programming voltages and potentially lower energy consumption than mainstream nonvolatile memory technologies. However, the waste heat generated by such thermal mechanisms is often not optimized, and could present a limiting factor to widespread use. The potential for electrostatically driven structural phase transitions has recently been predicted and subsequently reported in some two-dimensional materials, providing an athermal mechanism to dynamically control properties of these materials in a nonvolatile fashion while achieving potentially lower energy consumption. In this work, we employ DFT-based calculations to make theoretical comparisons of the energy required to drive electrostatically-induced and thermally-induced phase transitions. Determining theoretical limits in monolayer MoTe2 and thin films of Ge2Sb2Te5, we find that the energy consumption per unit volume of the electrostatically driven phase transition in monolayer MoTe2 at room temperature is 9% of the adiabatic lower limit of the thermally driven phase transition in Ge2Sb2Te5. Furthermore, experimentally reported phase change energy consumption of Ge2Sb2Te5 is 100-10,000 times larger than the adiabatic lower limit due to waste heat flow out of the material, leaving the possibility for energy consumption in monolayer MoTe2-based devices to be orders of magnitude smaller than Ge2Sb2Te5-based devices.

  1. Phase characteristics of rheograms. Original classification of phase-related changes of rheos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mikhail Y. Rudenko

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The phase characteristics of a rheogram are described in literature in general only. The existing theory of impedance rheography is based on an analysis of the form of rheogram envelopes, but not on the phase-related processes and their interpretation according to the applicable laws of physics. The aim of the present paper is to describe the phase-related characteristics of a rheogram of the ascending aorta. The method of the heart cycle phase analysis has been used for this purpose. By synchronizing an ECG of the aorta and a rheogram, an analysis of specific changes in the aorta blood filling in each phase is provided. As a result, the phase changes of a rheogram associated with the ECG phase structure are described and tabulated for first time. The author hereof offers his own original classification of the phase-related changes of rheograms.

  2. The influence of interfacial properties on the two-phase liquid flow of organic contaminants in groundwater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Demond, A.H.; Desai, F.N.; Hayes, K.F.

    1992-01-01

    DOE's waste sites are contaminated with a variety of organic liquids. Because of their low solubility in water, organic liquids such as these will persist as separate liquid phases and be transported as such in the subsurface. Thus, an improved understanding of the factors influencing the movement of a separate organic liquid phase in the subsurface is important to DOE's efforts to control groundwater contamination. Wettability is sometimes cited as the most important factor influencing two-phase flow in porous media. The wetting phase migrates preferentially through the smaller pores, whereas the nonwetting phase is concentrated in the larger pores. Typically, aquifers are thought of as strongly water-wet, implying that the organic liquid preferentially occupies the larger pores. But in fact, that state depends on the properties of the three interfaces of the system: between the organic liquid and water, water and the solid, and the organic liquid and the solid. Characteristics of the system which affect the interfacial properties also impact the wettability, such as the nature of the aquifer solids' surfaces, the composition of the goundwater and the properties of the organic contaminant. The alteration of wettability at DOE waste sites may be dominated by the presence of co-contaminants such as organic acids and bases which behave as surface-active agents or surfactants. Because of their physicochemical nature, surfactants will sorb preferentially at the interfaces of the system, thereby impacting the wettability and the distribution of the liquids in the porous medium. The over-all objective of this research was to determine how changes in interfacial properties affect two-phase flow. Specifically, the objective was to examine the effect of surfactant sorption on capillary pressure relationships by correlating measurements of sorption, zeta potential, interfacial tension and contact angle, with changes in the capillary pressure-saturation relationships

  3. Nitrogen-doped Sb-rich Si–Sb–Te phase-change material for high-performance phase-change memory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Xilin; Wu, Liangcai; Song, Zhitang; Cheng, Yan; Rao, Feng; Ren, Kun; Song, Sannian; Liu, Bo; Feng, Songlin

    2013-01-01

    The effects of nitrogen doping on the phase-change performance of Sb-rich Si–Sb–Te materials are systemically investigated, focusing on the chemical state and the role of nitrogen upon crystallization. The tendency of N atoms to bond with Si (SiN x ) in the crystalline film is analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The microstructures of the materials mixed with Sb 2 Te crystal grains and amorphous Si/SiN x regions are elucidated via in situ transmission electron microscopy, from which a percolation behavior is demonstrated to possibly describe the random crystallization feature in the nucleation-dominated nanocomposite material. The phase-change memory cells based on N-doped Sb-rich Si–Sb–Te materials display more stable and reliable electrical performance than the nitrogen-free ones. An endurance characteristic in the magnitude of 10 7 cycles of the phase-change memory cells is realized with moderate nitrogen addition, meaning that the nitrogen incorporation into Si–Sb–Te material is a suitable method to achieve high-performance phase-change memory for commercial applications

  4. Preparation and thermal properties of Glauber’s salt-based phase-change materials for Qinghai-Tibet Plateau solar greenhouses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Zipeng; Tie, Shengnian

    2017-07-01

    This paper reports the preparation and characterization of eutectic Glauber’s salt-based composite, phase-change materials (G-PCMs). PCMs were prepared using industrial-grade sodium sulfate decahydrate (Na2SO4 ṡ 10H2O) as the basic material. Other salts were added to obtain the eutectic Glauber’s salt-based PCMs with phase-change temperatures of 25∘C, 15∘C and 10∘C. The modification of the G-PCMs was designed using the same experimental method to select the efficient nucleating, thickening and thermal conductive agents. The results show that borax can be an effective nucleating agent, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose is an excellent thickener and carbon powder is a good thermal conductive agent. The phase-change temperature, latent heat and thermal conductivity of the three different PCMs are 23.9∘C, 15.4∘C and 9.5∘C; 179.6, 129 and 116.2 J/g; and 1.02, 1.10 and 1.23 W/(m K), respectively. These PCMs possess suitable phase-change temperature, high latent heat and good thermal conductivity, and can be used in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau agricultural solar greenhouses.

  5. Thermodynamic Property Model of Wide-Fluid Phase Propane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Made Astina

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available A new thermodynamic property model for propane is expressed in form of the Helmholtz free energy function. It consists of eight terms of the ideal-gas part and eighteen terms of the residual part. Accurate experimental data of fluid properties and theoretical approach from the intermolecular potential were simultaneously considered in the development to insure accuracy and to improve reliability of the equation of state over wide range of pressures and temperatures. Based on the state range of experimental data used in the model development, the validity range is judged from the triple-point of 85.48 K to temperature of 450 K and pressure up to 60 MPa. The uncertainties with respect to different properties are estimated to be 0.03% in ideal-gas isobaric specific heat, 0.2% in liquid phase density, 0.3% in gaseous phase density 1% in specific heats, 0.1% in vapor-pressure except at very low temperatures, 0.05% in saturated-liquid density, 0.02% in speed of sound of the gaseous phase and 1% in speed of sound of the liquid phase.

  6. Some properties of the layer phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu, Y.K.; Nielsen, H.B.

    1984-07-01

    There exists a layer phase at least in the non-isotropic U(1) lattice gauge field model for lattice dimension D >= 5 and layer dimension d = D - 1. The authors analyze some of the main properties of the layer phase. These are as follows: the behaviour of massless gauge particles (photons); the behaviour of doubly-sign charged particles and the behaviour of Wilson loops. A non-isotropic O(N) model is suggested and analyzed too. It is proved that in this case there exists no layer phase. Finally a model involving a non-isotropic antisymmetric tensor gauge field of arbitrary order is studied and a criterion for the dimensionality of the layer phase is given. (Auth.)

  7. Heat transfer and thermal storage performance of an open thermosyphon type thermal storage unit with tubular phase change material canisters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Ping-Yang; Hu, Bo-Wen; Liu, Zhen-Hua

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A novel open heat pipe thermal storage unit is design to improve its performance. • Mechanism of its operation is phase-change heat transfer. • Tubular canisters with phase change material were placed in thermal storage unit. • Experiment and analysis are carried out to investigate its operation properties. - Abstract: A novel open thermosyphon-type thermal storage unit is presented to improve design and performance of heat pipe type thermal storage unit. In the present study, tubular canisters filled with a solid–liquid phase change material are vertically placed in the middle of the thermal storage unit. The phase change material melts at 100 °C. Water is presented as the phase-change heat transfer medium of the thermal storage unit. The tubular canister is wrapped tightly with a layer of stainless steel mesh to increase the surface wettability. The heat transfer mechanism of charging/discharging is similar to that of the thermosyphon. Heat transfer between the heat resource or cold resource and the phase change material in this device occurs in the form of a cyclic phase change of the heat-transfer medium, which occurs on the surface of the copper tubes and has an extremely high heat-transfer coefficient. A series of experiments and theoretical analyses are carried out to investigate the properties of the thermal storage unit, including power distribution, start-up performance, and temperature difference between the phase change material and the surrounding vapor. The results show that the whole system has excellent heat-storage/heat-release performance

  8. Fabrication of Phase-Change Polymer Colloidal Photonic Crystals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tianyi Zhao

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the preparation of phase-change polymer colloidal photonic crystals (PCs by assembling hollow latex spheres encapsulated with dodecanol for the first time. The monodispersed hollow latex spheres were obtained by phase reversion of monodispersed core-shell latex spheres in the n-hexane, which dissolves the PS core and retains the PMMA/PAA shell. The as-prepared phase-change colloidal PCs show stable phase-change behavior. This fabrication of phase-change colloidal PCs would be significant for PC’s applications in functional coatings and various optic devices.

  9. Thermal Energy Storage with Phase Change Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lavinia Gabriela SOCACIU

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Thermal energy storage (TES systems provide several alternatives for efficient energy use and conservation. Phase change materials (PCMs for TES are materials supplying thermal regulation at particular phase change temperatures by absorbing and emitting the heat of the medium. TES in general and PCMs in particular, have been a main topic in research for the last 30 years, but although the information is quantitatively enormous, it is also spread widely in the literature, and difficult to find. PCMs absorb energy during the heating process as phase change takes place and release energy to the environment in the phase change range during a reverse cooling process. PCMs possesses the ability of latent thermal energy change their state with a certain temperature. PCMs for TES are generally solid-liquid phase change materials and therefore they need encapsulation. TES systems using PCMs as a storage medium offers advantages such as high TES capacity, small unit size and isothermal behaviour during charging and discharging when compared to the sensible TES.

  10. Electronic properties and phase transitions in low-dimensional semiconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panich, A M

    2008-01-01

    We present the first review of the current state of the literature on electronic properties and phase transitions in TlX and TlMX 2 (M = Ga, In; X = Se, S, Te) compounds. These chalcogenides belong to a family of the low-dimensional semiconductors possessing chain or layered structure. They are of significant interest because of their highly anisotropic properties, semi- and photoconductivity, nonlinear effects in their I-V characteristics (including a region of negative differential resistance), switching and memory effects, second harmonic optical generation, relaxor behavior and potential applications for optoelectronic devices. We review the crystal structure of TlX and TlMX 2 compounds, their transport properties under ambient conditions, experimental and theoretical studies of the electronic structure, transport properties and semiconductor-metal phase transitions under high pressure, and sequences of temperature-induced structural phase transitions with intermediate incommensurate states. The electronic nature of the ferroelectric phase transitions in the above-mentioned compounds, as well as relaxor behavior, nanodomains and possible occurrence of quantum dots in doped and irradiated crystals is discussed. (topical review)

  11. Thermal properties and stabilities of the eutectic mixture: 1,6-hexanediol/lauric acid as a phase change material for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Lipeng; Ma, Guixiang; Xie, Shaolei; Sun, Jinhe; Jia, Yongzhong; Jing, Yan

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • The eutectic mixture of 1,6-hexanediol/lauric acid was studied as a phase change material. • The mass fraction of 1,6-hexanediol in eutectic point is 70%. • The melting point and latent heat are measured to be 36.92 °C and 177.11 J g −1 . • The eutectic mixture showed good thermal and cyclic stabilities. - Abstract: Thermal properties and stabilities of the eutectic mixture: 1,6-hexanediol (HE) and lauric acid (LA) as a new phase change material (PCM) for latent heat thermal energy storage (TES) were investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicated that the aforementioned HE/LA mixture with eutectic composition (70/30 wt.%) was a suitable PCM in terms of melting point (T peak = 36.92 ± 0.71 °C) and latent heat of fusion (ΔH m = 177.11 ± 7.93 J g −1 ). After 1000 thermal cycles, the change in melting point for the eutectic mixture was in the range of −0.49% to −1.19%, and the change in latent heat of fusion was in the range of −0.22% to −3.24%. The eutectic mixture was thermally and chemically stable according to results of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), volatile test and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic analysis. Therefore, the HE/LA eutectic mixture is an effective TES material to reduce energy consumption.

  12. Preparation and properties of shape-stabilized phase change materials based on fatty acid eutectics and cellulose composites for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, Lei; Tang, Yaojie; Fang, Guiyin

    2015-01-01

    Shape-stabilized fatty acid eutectics/carboxy methyl cellulose-1 composites as phase change materials (PCMs) were synthesized by absorbing liquid eutectics into the carboxy methyl cellulose-1 fibers. The chemical structure, crystalloid phase and morphology were determined by the Fourier transformation infrared spectroscope, X-ray diffractometer and scanning electronic microscope. The thermal properties and thermal stability were measured by the differential scanning calorimeter, thermogravimetric analyzer and the thermal cycling test, respectively. The results indicate that the eutectics are well adsorbed in the porous structure of the carboxy methyl cellulose-1. According to the DSC (differential scanning calorimeter) results, the composites melt at 32.2 °C with latent heat of 114.6 kJ/kg and solidify at 29.2 °C with latent heat of 106.8 kJ/kg. The thermal cycling test proves that the composites have good thermal reliability. It is envisioned that the prepared shape-stabilized PCMs have considerable potential for developing their roles in thermal energy storage. - Highlights: • The fatty acid eutectic/carboxy methyl cellulose-1 composites as PCMs were prepared. • Chemical structure and microstructure of composites were determined by FT-IR and SEM. • Thermal properties and stabilities were investigated by DSC and TGA. • The thermal cycling test confirmed that the composite has good thermal reliability

  13. Method for determining thermo-physical properties of specimens. [photographic recording of changes in thin film phase-change temperature indicating material in wind tunnel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, R. A. (Inventor)

    1974-01-01

    The square root of the product of thermophysical properties q, c and k, where p is density, c is specific heat and k is thermal conductivity, is determined directly on a test specimen such as a wind tunnel model. The test specimen and a reference specimen of known specific heat are positioned at a given distance from a heat source. The specimens are provided with a coating, such as a phase change coating, to visually indicate that a given temperature was reached. A shutter interposed between the heat source and the specimens is opened and a motion picture camera is actuated to provide a time record of the heating step. The temperature of the reference specimen is recorded as a function of time. The heat rate to which both the test and reference specimens were subjected is determined from the temperature time response of the reference specimen by the conventional thin-skin calorimeter equation.

  14. Microencapsulation of butyl stearate as a phase change material by interfacial polycondensation in a polyurea system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen Liang [College of Material Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing 210009 (China)], E-mail: doseng_1982@hotmail.com; Xu Lingling; Shang Hongbo; Zhang Zhibin [College of Material Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing 210009 (China)

    2009-03-15

    For the last 20 years, microencapsulated phase change materials (MicroPCMs), which combine microencapsulation technology and phase change material, have been attracted more and more interest. By overcoming some limitations of the PCMs, the MicroPCMs improve the efficiency of PCMs and make it possible to apply PCMs in many areas. In this experiment, polyurea microcapsules containing phase change materials were prepared using interfacial polycondensation method. Toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) and ethylenediamine (EDA) were chosen as monomers. Butyl stearate was employed as a core material. The MicroPCMs' properties have been characterized by dry weight analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform IR spectra analysis and optical microscopy. The results show that the MicroPCMs were synthesized successfully and that, the phase change temperature was about 29 deg. C, the latent heat of fusion was about 80 J g{sup -1}, the particle diameter was 20-35 {mu}m.

  15. Microencapsulation of butyl stearate as a phase change material by interfacial polycondensation in a polyurea system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Liang; Xu Lingling; Shang Hongbo; Zhang Zhibin

    2009-01-01

    For the last 20 years, microencapsulated phase change materials (MicroPCMs), which combine microencapsulation technology and phase change material, have been attracted more and more interest. By overcoming some limitations of the PCMs, the MicroPCMs improve the efficiency of PCMs and make it possible to apply PCMs in many areas. In this experiment, polyurea microcapsules containing phase change materials were prepared using interfacial polycondensation method. Toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) and ethylenediamine (EDA) were chosen as monomers. Butyl stearate was employed as a core material. The MicroPCMs' properties have been characterized by dry weight analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform IR spectra analysis and optical microscopy. The results show that the MicroPCMs were synthesized successfully and that, the phase change temperature was about 29 deg. C, the latent heat of fusion was about 80 J g -1 , the particle diameter was 20-35 μm

  16. Microencapsulation of butyl stearate as a phase change material by interfacial polycondensation in a polyurea system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liang, Chen; Lingling, Xu; Hongbo, Shang; Zhibin, Zhang [College of Material Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing 210009 (China)

    2009-03-15

    For the last 20 years, microencapsulated phase change materials (MicroPCMs), which combine microencapsulation technology and phase change material, have been attracted more and more interest. By overcoming some limitations of the PCMs, the MicroPCMs improve the efficiency of PCMs and make it possible to apply PCMs in many areas. In this experiment, polyurea microcapsules containing phase change materials were prepared using interfacial polycondensation method. Toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) and ethylenediamine (EDA) were chosen as monomers. Butyl stearate was employed as a core material. The MicroPCMs' properties have been characterized by dry weight analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform IR spectra analysis and optical microscopy. The results show that the MicroPCMs were synthesized successfully and that, the phase change temperature was about 29 C, the latent heat of fusion was about 80 J g{sup -1}, the particle diameter was 20-35 {mu}m. (author)

  17. Thermal properties and heat storage analysis of palmitic acid-TiO_2 composite as nano-enhanced organic phase change material (NEOPCM)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma, R.K.; Ganesan, P.; Tyagi, V.V.; Metselaar, H.S.C.; Sandaran, S.C.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Novel composite of palmitic acid and TiO_2 nanoparticles with enhanced thermal energy storage capabilities • The composite is thermally reliable and chemically stable. • Thermal conductivity of the composite increases significantly with the loading. - Graphical Abstract: - Abstract: In the present study, the phase change behavior of prepared novel composites of palmitic acid and solid nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (TiO_2) for thermal energy storage has been investigated. The nanoparticles are dispersed into the base fluid in various mass fractions (0.5, 1, 3, and 5%), and their effects on the thermo-physical properties have been investigated. Structural analysis has been carried out by using FESEM, and crystallography was checked by XRD technique. The chemical/functional groups of the base fluid and composite PCMs have been analyzed by using FT-IR spectrum. The observations showed that the TiO_2 nanoparticles do not affect the chemical structure of palmitic acid; however they improve the chemical stability. The phase transition temperature and latent heat of fusion has shown the significant stability with the increase in nanoparticle weight fractions. The accelerated thermal cycle test of the composite shows good thermal reliability for 1500 melt/freeze cycles. Thermal conductivity of palmitic acid increased gradually by 12.7, 20.6, 46.6, and 80% for the nanoparticle weight fractions of 0.5, 1, 3, and 5% respectively. Based on the results, it can be mentioned that the prepared palmitic acid based nano-enhanced organic phase change composite materials can be very well used as potential solar thermal energy storage materials.

  18. Imaging of phase change materials below a capping layer using correlative infrared near-field microscopy and electron microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewin, M.; Hauer, B.; Bornhöfft, M.; Jung, L.; Benke, J.; Michel, A.-K. U.; Mayer, J.; Wuttig, M.; Taubner, T.

    2015-10-01

    Phase Change Materials (PCM) show two stable states in the solid phase with significantly different optical and electronic properties. They can be switched reversibly between those two states and are promising candidates for future non-volatile memory applications. The development of phase change devices demands characterization tools, yielding information about the switching process at high spatial resolution. Scattering-type Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (s-SNOM) allows for spectroscopic analyses of the different optical properties of the PCMs on the nm-scale. By correlating the optical s-SNOM images with transmission electron microscopy images of the same sample, we unambiguously demonstrate the correlation of the infrared optical contrast with the structural state of the phase change material. The investigated sample consists of sandwiched amorphous and crystalline regions of Ag 4 In 3 Sb 67 Te 26 below a 100 nm thick ( ZnS ) 80 - ( SiO2 ) 20 capping layer. Our results demonstrate the sensitivity of s-SNOM to small dielectric near-field contrasts even below a comparably thick capping layer ( 100 nm ).

  19. Elastic and Mechanical Properties of the MAX Phases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barsoum, Michel W.; Radovic, Miladin

    2011-08-01

    The more than 60 ternary carbides and nitrides, with the general formula Mn+1AXn—where n = 1, 2, or 3; M is an early transition metal; A is an A-group element (a subset of groups 13-16); and X is C and/or N—represent a new class of layered solids, where Mn+1Xn layers are interleaved with pure A-group element layers. The growing interest in the Mn+1AXn phases lies in their unusual, and sometimes unique, set of properties that can be traced back to their layered nature and the fact that basal dislocations multiply and are mobile at room temperature. Because of their chemical and structural similarities, the MAX phases and their corresponding MX phases share many physical and chemical properties. In this paper we review our current understanding of the elastic and mechanical properties of bulk MAX phases where they differ significantly from their MX counterparts. Elastically the MAX phases are in general quite stiff and elastically isotropic. The MAX phases are relatively soft (2-8 GPa), are most readily machinable, and are damage tolerant. Some of them are also lightweight and resistant to thermal shock, oxidation, fatigue, and creep. In addition, they behave as nonlinear elastic solids, dissipating 25% of the mechanical energy during compressive cycling loading of up to 1 GPa at room temperature. At higher temperatures, they undergo a brittle-to-plastic transition, and their mechanical behavior is a strong function of deformation rate.

  20. Physical Properties of Phase Pure 4C Pyrrhotite (Fe7S8) during its Low Temperature Besnus Transition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volk, M.; Feinberg, J. M.; McCalla, E.; Leighton, C.; Voigt, B.

    2017-12-01

    Of all magnetic minerals that play a role in recording terrestrial and extraterrestrial magnetic fields, the low temperature phase transition of monoclinic Fe7S8 is the least well understood. At room temperature an array of ordered vacancies gives rise to ferrimagnetism in pyrrhotite. The mineral's physical properties change dramatically at ≈30 K during what is known as the Besnus transition. The mechanism driving these changes, however, is not fully understood. Several explanations have been proposed, including changes in crystalline anisotropy, a transformation of the crystal symmetry, and magnetic interactions within in a two-phase (4C/5C*) system among them. To better understand the transition we studied magnetic, electric and structural properties as well as the heat capacity of a large, phase pure monoclinic crystal (Fe6.8±0.1S8). The single-phase sample shows a clear peak at 32 K in the heat capacity associated with a second order phase transition. Zero field cooling of 2.5 T saturating isothermal remanent magnetizations acquired at 300 and 20 K, as well electrical conductivity exhibit sudden changes between 30-33 K. Susceptibility shows a secondary peak within the same temperature interval. These phenomena can be related to the peak in heat capacity, indicating that the changes are related to the phase transition. In-field measurements show that the magnetic and electric transitions are mildly field dependent. Repeated measurements on different instruments show that the transition temperature for susceptibility is 1 K higher when measured parallel to the crystallographic c-axis as compared to within the c-plane. Similar trends could be found in magnetoresistivity, which is negative (≈ -2%) in the c-plane and larger and positive (≈ 5%) along the c-axis. While this comprehensive data set is not able to unambiguously explain the mechanism driving the transition, it indicates the coupling of structural and magnetocrystalline properties and suggests that

  1. Metal - Insulator Transition Driven by Vacancy Ordering in GeSbTe Phase Change Materials

    OpenAIRE

    Bragaglia, Valeria; Arciprete, Fabrizio; Privitera, Stefania; Rimini, Emanuele; Mazzarello, Riccardo; Calarco, Raffaella; Zhang, Wei; Mio, Antonio Massimiliano; Zallo, Eugenio; Perumal, Karthick; Giussani, Alessandro; Cecchi, Stefano; Boschker, Jos Emiel; Riechert, Henning

    2016-01-01

    Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are unique compounds employed in non-volatile random access memory thanks to the rapid and reversible transformation between the amorphous and crystalline state that display large differences in electrical and optical properties. In addition to the amorphous-to-crystalline transition, experimental results on polycrystalline GeSbTe alloys (GST) films evidenced a Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT) attributed to disorder in the crystalline phase. Here we report on a f...

  2. Structural Properties and Thermodynamic Stability of Metastable Phases in the Zr-Nb and Ti-V Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aurelio, Gabriela

    2003-01-01

    The structural properties and relative stability of metastable phases have been studied in the Zr-Nb and Ti-V systems.The first part of this Thesis is connected to a previous work performed in our Group (G. Grad, PhD Thesis, Instituto Balseiro, Argentina, 1999).It presents a phenomenological analysis of the systematics of interatomic distances in the omega (Ω ) and bcc (β) phases of the transition metals, which concerns a parameter entering into Pauling's resonating-valence- bond-theory and the structural and bonding properties of the Ω and β phases.Neutron diffraction experiments in Zr-Nb and Ti-V alloys are reported, aimed at studying possible atomic ordering in the Ω phase and the composition dependence of its interatomic distances.An extensive neutron diffraction study was performed on a series of Zr-Nb and Ti-V alloys quenched from high temperatures, where β is the stable phase.Upon quenching, three metastable structures are formed, viz., the hcp (∝ q ) phase, the Ω q phase, and the untransformed β q phase.The structural properties of these metastable phases were determined as a function of the Nb and V contents to generate a reliable experimental database.With such data, a series of issues are discussed related to the structure, relative stability, and phase relations in the alloys and its constitutive elements.The effect of composition upon the lattice parameters of the metastable β q and Ω q phases was combined in a consistent way with a critical analysis of structural and thermophysical data on the metastable phases of Ti and Zr.The relative stability of the metastable ∝ q , Ω q and β q phases in Zr-Nb alloys, and its evolution towards thermodynamic equilibrium, were studied combining neutron thermodiffraction and analytical electron microscopy techniques.During isothermal heat treatments performed at high temperature, the structural properties of the alloys were determined as a function of temperature, time and composition.A method of

  3. UV irradiation-initiated MMA polymerization to prepare microcapsules containing phase change paraffin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Sude; Song, Guolin; Li, Wei; Fan, Pengfei; Tang, Guoyi [Institute of Advanced Materials, Graduated School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055 (China)

    2010-10-15

    Microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM), paraffin, with polymethylmethacrylate shell was prepared by introducing UV irradiation to an O/W emulsion polymerization for approximately 30 min under constant stirring. The results of differential scanning calorimetry analyses indicate that the latent heat and the content of paraffin of microcapsules are 101 J g{sup -1} and 61.2 wt%, respectively. The phase transition temperature of MEPCM ranges from 24 to 33 C. The MEPCM was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Thermal gravimetric analysis results show that the MEPCM is degraded into two distinguishable steps. Accelerated thermal cycling tests also indicate that the MEPCM displays a good thermal reliability. Gypsum boards composed of as-prepared MEPCM show a good temperature-regulated property. Based on all these results, it can be concluded that the microencapsulated paraffin as MEPCMs have good potential for thermal energy storage purposes such as phase change material slurries, solar space heating applications, textiles and building materials. (author)

  4. A New Method to Improve the Electrical Properties of KNN-based Ceramics: Tailoring Phase Fraction

    KAUST Repository

    Lv, Xiang; Wu, Jiagang; Zhu, Jianguo; Xiao, Dingquan; Zhang, Xixiang

    2017-01-01

    Although both the phase type and fraction of multi-phase coexistence can affect the electrical properties of (K,Na)NbO3 (KNN)-based ceramics, effects of phase fraction on their electrical properties were few concerned. In this work, through changing the calcination temperature of CaZrO3 powders, we successfully developed the 0.96K0.5Na0.5Nb0.96Sb0.04O3-0.01CaZrO3-0.03Bi0.5Na0.5HfO3 ceramics containing a wide rhombohedral-tetragonal (R-T) phase coexistence with the variations of T (or R) phase fractions. It was found that higher T phase fraction can warrant a larger piezoelectric constant (d33) and d33 also showed a linear variation with respect to tetragonality ratio (c/a). More importantly, a number of domain patterns were observed due to high T phase fraction and large c/a ratio, greatly benefiting the piezoelectricity. In addition, the improved ferroelectric fatigue behavior and thermal stability were also shown in the ceramics containing high T phase fraction. Therefore, this work can bring a new viewpoint into the physical mechanism of KNN-based ceramics behind R-T phase coexistence.

  5. A New Method to Improve the Electrical Properties of KNN-based Ceramics: Tailoring Phase Fraction

    KAUST Repository

    Lv, Xiang

    2017-08-18

    Although both the phase type and fraction of multi-phase coexistence can affect the electrical properties of (K,Na)NbO3 (KNN)-based ceramics, effects of phase fraction on their electrical properties were few concerned. In this work, through changing the calcination temperature of CaZrO3 powders, we successfully developed the 0.96K0.5Na0.5Nb0.96Sb0.04O3-0.01CaZrO3-0.03Bi0.5Na0.5HfO3 ceramics containing a wide rhombohedral-tetragonal (R-T) phase coexistence with the variations of T (or R) phase fractions. It was found that higher T phase fraction can warrant a larger piezoelectric constant (d33) and d33 also showed a linear variation with respect to tetragonality ratio (c/a). More importantly, a number of domain patterns were observed due to high T phase fraction and large c/a ratio, greatly benefiting the piezoelectricity. In addition, the improved ferroelectric fatigue behavior and thermal stability were also shown in the ceramics containing high T phase fraction. Therefore, this work can bring a new viewpoint into the physical mechanism of KNN-based ceramics behind R-T phase coexistence.

  6. The influence of oxygen and nitrogen doping on GeSbTe phase-change optical recording media properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dimitrov, D.; Shieh, H.-P.D

    2004-03-15

    Nitrogen and oxygen doped and co-doped GeSbTe (GST) films for phase-change optical recording are investigated. It is found that the crystallization temperature increased as well as the crystalline microstructure refined by doping. The carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) and erasability of phase-change optical disks are improved being up to 52 and 35 dB, respectively, by using an appropriate nitrogen doping or co-doping concentration in the recording layer. Optical disks with co-doped recording layer are found to be superior in the recording characteristics then the single doped recording layer disks.

  7. In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Observation of Nanostructural Changes in Phase-Change Memory

    KAUST Repository

    Meister, Stefan

    2011-04-26

    Phase-change memory (PCM) has been researched extensively as a promising alternative to flash memory. Important studies have focused on its scalability, switching speed, endurance, and new materials. Still, reliability issues and inconsistent switching in PCM devices motivate the need to further study its fundamental properties. However, many investigations treat PCM cells as black boxes; nanostructural changes inside the devices remain hidden. Here, using in situ transmission electron microscopy, we observe real-time nanostructural changes in lateral Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) PCM bridges during switching. We find that PCM devices with similar resistances can exhibit distinct threshold switching behaviors due to the different initial distribution of nanocrystalline and amorphous domains, explaining variability of switching behaviors of PCM cells in the literature. Our findings show a direct correlation between nanostructure and switching behavior, providing important guidelines in the design and operation of future PCM devices with improved endurance and lower variability. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

  8. On the Size Dependence of Molar and Specific Properties of Independent Nano-phases and Those in Contact with Other Phases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaptay, George

    2018-05-01

    Nano-materials are materials with at least one nano-phase. A nano-phase is a phase with at least one of its dimensions below 100 nm. It is shown here that nano-phases have at least 1% of their atoms along their surface layer. The ratio of surface atoms is proportional to the specific surface area of the phase, defined as the ratio of its surface area to its volume. Each specific/molar property has its bulk value and its surface value for the given phase, being always different, as the energetic states of the atoms in the bulk and in the surface layer of a phase are different. The average specific/molar property of a nano-phase is modeled here as a linear combination of the bulk and surface values of the same property, scaled with the ratio of the surface atoms. That makes the performance of all nano-phases proportional to their specific surface area. As the characteristic size of the nano-phase is inversely proportional to its specific surface area, all specific/molar properties of nano-phases are inversely proportional to the characteristic size of the phase. This is applied to the size dependence of the molar Gibbs energy of the nano-phase, which appears to be in agreement with the thermodynamics of Gibbs. This agreement proves the general validity of the present model on the size dependence of the specific/molar properties of independent nano-phases. It is shown that the properties of nano-phases are different for independent nano-phases (surrounded only by their equilibrium vapor phase) and for nano-phases in multi-phase situations, such as a liquid nano-droplet in the sessile drop configuration.

  9. Chalcogenides Metastability and Phase Change Phenomena

    CERN Document Server

    Kolobov, Alexander V

    2012-01-01

    A state-of-the-art description of metastability observed in chalcogenide alloys is presented with the accent on the underlying physics. A comparison is made between sulphur(selenium)-based chalcogenide glasses, where numerous photo-induced phenomena take place entirely within the amorphous phase, and tellurides where a reversible crystal-to-amorphous phase-change transformation is a major effect. Applications of metastability in devices¿optical memories and nonvolatile electronic phase-change random-access memories among others are discussed, including the latest trends. Background material essential for understanding current research in the field is also provided.

  10. Aqueous preparation of polyethylene glycol/sulfonated graphene phase change composite with enhanced thermal performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Hairong; Jiang, Ming; Li, Qi; Li, Denian; Chen, Zongyi; Hu, Waping; Huang, Jing; Xu, Xizhe; Dong, Lijie; Xie, Haian; Xiong, Chuanxi

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • We report an aqueous preparation technique of PEG/graphene phase change composite. • Hydrophilic sulfonated graphene (SG) nanosheets were synthesized. • Large increase in thermal conductivity is attained at low SG loading. • High latent heat is retained due to the low filler loading. • Affinity between SG and PEG contributes to the enhanced thermal performance. - Abstract: A polyethylene glycol (PEG)/sulfonated graphene (SG) phase change composite with enhanced thermal performance was prepared by solution processing in aqueous medium. It is remarkable that the addition of only 4 wt.% of SG to PEG could lead to a four times higher increase in thermal conductivity and a slight decrease in the phase change enthalpy, which is attributed to the formation of efficient thermal conductive network within the PEG matrix relevant to the excellent thermal property and unique 2-dimensional morphology of graphene as well as strong interface affinity between PEG matrix and SG nanosheets. The aqueous preparation technique is expected to pioneer a new way to prepare environment friendly organic phase change materials, and the production of PEG/SG composites is potentially scalable due to the facile fabricating process

  11. Blue laser phase change recording system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hofmann, Holger; Dambach, S.Soeren; Richter, Hartmut

    2002-01-01

    The migration paths from DVD phase change recording with red laser to the next generation optical disk formats with blue laser and high NA optics are discussed with respect to optical aberration margins and disc capacities. A test system for the evaluation of phase change disks with more than 20 GB capacity is presented and first results of the recording performance are shown

  12. Structural and phase changes in copper-fullerene films by ion implantation and annealing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shpilevsky, E.M.; Baran, L.V.; Okatova, G.P.; Jakimovich, A.V.

    2001-01-01

    The structural and phase changes and the electrical properties of copper - fullerene (Cu-C 60 ) films by the ion implantation(B + , E=80 keV, D 5·10 21 m -2 ) and the thermal annealing are described. We found the copper-fullerene solid supersaturated solution formed in process of the two-component films obtaining. The result of the thermal annealing is the phase segregation of fullerene. It has been established the ion implantation adduces to the partial fragmentation of fullerene, to the destruction of the C 60 molecules and to the formation of the CuB 24 , B 25 C and B 4 C phases

  13. ECO2M: A TOUGH2 Fluid Property Module for Mixtures of Water, NaCl, and CO2, Including Super- and Sub-Critical Conditions, and Phase Change Between Liquid and Gaseous CO2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pruess, K.

    2011-04-01

    ECO2M is a fluid property module for the TOUGH2 simulator (Version 2.0) that was designed for applications to geologic storage of CO{sub 2} in saline aquifers. It includes a comprehensive description of the thermodynamics and thermophysical properties of H{sub 2}O - NaCl - CO{sub 2} mixtures, that reproduces fluid properties largely within experimental error for temperature, pressure and salinity conditions in the range of 10 C {le} T {le} 110 C, P {le} 600 bar, and salinity from zero up to full halite saturation. The fluid property correlations used in ECO2M are identical to the earlier ECO2N fluid property package, but whereas ECO2N could represent only a single CO{sub 2}-rich phase, ECO2M can describe all possible phase conditions for brine-CO{sub 2} mixtures, including transitions between super- and sub-critical conditions, and phase change between liquid and gaseous CO{sub 2}. This allows for seamless modeling of CO{sub 2} storage and leakage. Flow processes can be modeled isothermally or non-isothermally, and phase conditions represented may include a single (aqueous or CO{sub 2}-rich) phase, as well as two-and three-phase mixtures of aqueous, liquid CO{sub 2} and gaseous CO{sub 2} phases. Fluid phases may appear or disappear in the course of a simulation, and solid salt may precipitate or dissolve. TOUGH2/ECO2M is upwardly compatible with ECO2N and accepts ECO2N-style inputs. This report gives technical specifications of ECO2M and includes instructions for preparing input data. Code applications are illustrated by means of several sample problems, including problems that had been previously solved with TOUGH2/ECO2N.

  14. The energy efficiency ratio of heat storage in one shell-and-one tube phase change thermal energy storage unit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Wei-Wei; Wang, Liang-Bi; He, Ya-Ling

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A parameter to indicate the energy efficiency ratio of PCTES units is defined. • The characteristics of the energy efficiency ratio of PCTES units are reported. • A combined parameter of the physical properties of the working mediums is found. • Some implications of the energy efficiency ratio in design of PCTES units are analyzed. - Abstract: From aspect of energy consuming to pump heat transfer fluid, there is no sound basis on which to create an optimum design of a thermal energy storage unit. Thus, it is necessary to develop a parameter to indicate the energy efficiency of such unit. This paper firstly defines a parameter that indicates the ratio of heat storage of phase change thermal energy storage unit to energy consumed in pumping heat transfer fluid, which is called the energy efficiency ratio, then numerically investigates the characteristics of this parameter. The results show that the energy efficiency ratio can clearly indicate the energy efficiency of a phase change thermal energy storage unit. When the fluid flow of a heat transfer fluid is in a laminar state, the energy efficiency ratio is larger than in a turbulent state. The energy efficiency ratio of a shell-and-tube phase change thermal energy storage unit is more sensitive to the outer tube diameter. Under the same working conditions, within the heat transfer fluids studied, the heat storage property of the phase change thermal energy storage unit is best for water as heat transfer fluid. A combined parameter is found to indicate the effects of both the physical properties of phase change material and heat transfer fluid on the energy efficiency ratio

  15. Challenges of the Usual Graphical Methods Used to Characterize Phase Change Materials by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stéphane Gibout

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Modeling the thermal behavior of a plant or devices using Phase Change Materials (PCM requires to know their thermophysical properties. The Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC is a technic largely used to investigate them. However, under the pretext to experiment with small samples, some authors consider the DSC curves as directly representing the properties of the materials without realizing that this interpretation is very often incompatible with the thermodynamics laws: as an example, although a pure substance melts at a fixed temperature T F , it is proposed a melting through a temperature range higher than T F and depending on the experiments (heating rates, sample masses..., for solutions the suggested characteristic temperatures are incompatible with the phase diagram, and also a hysteresis phenomenon is invented... In this paper, we demonstrate by a model coupling thermodynamics and conduction heat transfers, that the DSC curves are exactly compatible with the thermodynamics of phase changes (melting at fixed temperature for pure substances, in conformity with phase diagrams for solutions.... The cases of pure substances, saline solutions, substances with impurities or solid solutions are detailed. We indicate which information can, however, be given by the curves. We also propose a more sophisticated method by inverse calculations to determine the specific enthalpy whose all the thermodynamical properties can be deduced. Finally, we give some indications to understand and use the results indicating supercooling.

  16. Structure, elastic properties and phase stability of Cr1-xAlxN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mayrhofer, P.H.; Music, D.; Reeswinkel, Th.; Fuss, H.-G.; Schneider, J.M.

    2008-01-01

    The effect of composition and metal sublattice population on the phase stability, structure and elastic properties of cubic (c), hexagonal (h) and orthorhombic spin-polarized Cr 1-x Al x N was studied using ab initio calculations. Excellent correlation between ab initio and experimentally obtained lattice parameters and elastic constants was obtained. The energy of formation suggests that the cubic phase can be stabilized for x in the range 0.48-0.75, depending on the metal sublattice population. The broad range of x, which is also observed in experiments, can be understood by considering the Al distribution induced changes in the configurational contribution to the total energy

  17. Ultrafast crystallization and thermal stability of In-Ge doped eutectic Sb70Te30 phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee Meiling; Miao Xiangshui; Ting Leehou; Shi Luping

    2008-01-01

    Effect of In and Ge doping in the form of In 2 Ge 8 Sb 85 Te 5 on optical and thermal properties of eutectic Sb 70 Te 30 alloys was investigated. Crystalline structure of In 2 Ge 8 Sb 85 Te 5 phase change material consists of a mixture of phases. Thermal analysis shows higher crystallization temperature and activation energy for crystallization. Isothermal reflectivity-time measurement shows a growth-dominated crystallization mechanism. Ultrafast crystallization speed of 30 ns is realized upon irradiation by blue laser beam. The use of ultrafast and thermally stable In 2 Ge 8 Sb 85 Te 5 phase change material as mask layer in aperture-type super-resolution near-field phase change disk is realized to increase the carrier-to-noise ratio and thermal stability

  18. Electronic transport in amorphous phase-change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luckas, Jennifer Maria

    2012-01-01

    Phase change materials combine a pronounced contrast in resistivity and reflectivity between their disordered amorphous and ordered crystalline state with very fast crystallization kinetics. Due to this exceptional combination of properties phase-change materials find broad application in non-volatile optical memories such as CD, DVD or Bluray Disc. Furthermore, this class of materials demonstrates remarkable electrical transport phenomena in their disordered state, which have shown to be crucial for their application in electronic storage devices. The threshold switching phenomenon denotes the sudden decrease in resistivity beyond a critical electrical threshold field. The threshold switching phenomenon facilitates the phase transitions at practical small voltages. Below this threshold the amorphous state resistivity is thermally activated and is observed to increase with time. This effect known as resistance drift seriously hampers the development of multi-level storage devices. Hence, understanding the physical origins of threshold switching and resistance drift phenomena is crucial to improve non-volatile phase-change memories. Even though both phenomena are often attributed to localized defect states in the band gap, the defect state density in amorphous phase-change materials has remained poorly studied. Starting from a brief introduction of the physics of phase-change materials this thesis summarizes the most important models behind electrical switching and resistance drift with the aim to discuss the role of localized defect states. The centerpiece of this thesis is the investigation of defects state densities in different amorphous phase-change materials and electrical switching chalcogenides. On the basis of Modulated Photo Current (MPC) Experiments and Photothermal Deflection Spectroscopy, a sophisticated band model for the disordered phase of the binary phase-change alloy GeTe has been developed. By this direct experimental approach the band-model for a

  19. Electronic transport in amorphous phase-change materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luckas, Jennifer Maria

    2012-09-14

    Phase change materials combine a pronounced contrast in resistivity and reflectivity between their disordered amorphous and ordered crystalline state with very fast crystallization kinetics. Due to this exceptional combination of properties phase-change materials find broad application in non-volatile optical memories such as CD, DVD or Bluray Disc. Furthermore, this class of materials demonstrates remarkable electrical transport phenomena in their disordered state, which have shown to be crucial for their application in electronic storage devices. The threshold switching phenomenon denotes the sudden decrease in resistivity beyond a critical electrical threshold field. The threshold switching phenomenon facilitates the phase transitions at practical small voltages. Below this threshold the amorphous state resistivity is thermally activated and is observed to increase with time. This effect known as resistance drift seriously hampers the development of multi-level storage devices. Hence, understanding the physical origins of threshold switching and resistance drift phenomena is crucial to improve non-volatile phase-change memories. Even though both phenomena are often attributed to localized defect states in the band gap, the defect state density in amorphous phase-change materials has remained poorly studied. Starting from a brief introduction of the physics of phase-change materials this thesis summarizes the most important models behind electrical switching and resistance drift with the aim to discuss the role of localized defect states. The centerpiece of this thesis is the investigation of defects state densities in different amorphous phase-change materials and electrical switching chalcogenides. On the basis of Modulated Photo Current (MPC) Experiments and Photothermal Deflection Spectroscopy, a sophisticated band model for the disordered phase of the binary phase-change alloy GeTe has been developed. By this direct experimental approach the band-model for a

  20. The dry-heat loss effect of melt-spun phase change material fibres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tjønnås, Maria Suong; Færevik, Hilde; Sandsund, Mariann; Reinertsen, Randi E

    2015-01-01

    Phase change materials (PCM) have the ability to store latent heat when they change phases, a property that gives clothing that incorporates PCM its cooling effect. This study investigated the effect of dry-heat loss (cooling) of a novel melt-spun PCM fibre on the basis of the area covered, mass, the latent heat of fusion and melting temperature, compared to a known PCM clothing product. PCM fibres with melting temperatures of 28.4 and 32.0°C and PCM packs with melting temperatures of 28.0 and 32.0°C were studied. The results showed that the PCM fibres had a larger initial peak cooling effect than that of the PCM packs. The duration of the cooling effect of PCM fibres was primarily dependent on the PCM mass and the latent heat of fusion capacity, and secondly on the covered area and melting temperature of the PCM. This study investigates the cooling effect of PCM fibres on a thermal manikin. The PCM fibres had a high but short-lasting cooling effect. This study contributes to the knowledge of how the body's temperature regulation may be affected by the cooling properties of clothing that incorporates PCM.

  1. Preparation and thermal properties of form-stable palmitic acid/active aluminum oxide composites as phase change materials for latent heat storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang, Guiyin; Li, Hui; Cao, Lei; Shan, Feng

    2012-01-01

    Form-stable palmitic acid (PA)/active aluminum oxide composites as phase change materials were prepared by adsorbing liquid palmitic acid into active aluminum oxide. In the composites, the palmitic acid was used as latent heat storage materials, and the active aluminum oxide was used as supporting material. Fourier transformation infrared spectroscope (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electronic microscope (SEM) were used to determine the chemical structure, crystalloid phase and microstructure of the composites, respectively. The thermal properties and thermal stability were investigated by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and a thermogravimetry analyzer (TGA). The FT-IR analyses results indicated that there is no chemical interaction between the palmitic acid and active aluminum oxide. The SEM results showed that the palmitic acid was well adsorbed into porous network of the active aluminum oxide. The DSC results indicated that the composites melt at 60.25 °C with a latent heat of 84.48 kJ kg −1 and solidify at 56.86 °C with a latent heat of 78.79 kJ kg −1 when the mass ratio of the PA to active aluminum oxide is 0.9:1. Compared with that of the PA, the melting and solidifying time of the composites CPCM5 was reduced by 20.6% and 21.4% because of the increased heat transfer rate through EG addition. The TGA results showed that the active aluminum oxide can improve the thermal stability of the composites. -- Highlights: ► Form-stable PA/active aluminum oxide composites as PCMs were prepared. ► Chemical structure, crystalloid phase and microstructure of composites were determined. ► Thermal properties and thermal stability of the composites were investigated. ► Expanded graphite can improve thermal conductivity of the composites.

  2. Material Engineering for Phase Change Memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabrera, David M.

    As semiconductor devices continue to scale downward, and portable consumer electronics become more prevalent there is a need to develop memory technology that will scale with devices and use less energy, while maintaining performance. One of the leading prototypical memories that is being investigated is phase change memory. Phase change memory (PCM) is a non-volatile memory composed of 1 transistor and 1 resistor. The resistive structure includes a memory material alloy which can change between amorphous and crystalline states repeatedly using current/voltage pulses of different lengths and magnitudes. The most widely studied PCM materials are chalcogenides - Germanium-Antimony-Tellerium (GST) with Ge2Sb2Te3 and Germanium-Tellerium (GeTe) being some of the most popular stochiometries. As these cells are scaled downward, the current/voltage needed to switch these materials becomes comparable to the voltage needed to sense the cell's state. The International Roadmap for Semiconductors aims to raise the threshold field of these devices from 66.6 V/mum to be at least 375 V/mum for the year 2024. These cells are also prone to resistance drift between states, leading to bit corruption and memory loss. Phase change material properties are known to influence PCM device performance such as crystallization temperature having an effect on data retention and litetime, while resistivity values in the amorphous and crystalline phases have an effect on the current/voltage needed to write/erase the cell. Addition of dopants is also known to modify the phase change material parameters. The materials G2S2T5, GeTe, with dopants - nitrogen, silicon, titanium, and aluminum oxide and undoped Gallium-Antimonide (GaSb) are studied for these desired characteristics. Thin films of these compositions are deposited via physical vapor deposition at IBM Watson Research Center. Crystallization temperatures are investigated using time resolved x-ray diffraction at Brookhaven National Laboratory

  3. Quantum field theoretic properties of nonabelian phase factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wieczorek, E.

    1984-01-01

    The paper is concerned with quantum field theoretical properies of nonabelian phase factors. The phase factors defining parallel transport in fiber bundle space are the necessary tool for the construction of gauge invariant nonlocal operators describing bound states in QCD. General structures of such operators are discussed and renormalization properties as well as relations between meson and baryon operators are obtained from a study of the underlying phase factors

  4. Palmitic acid/polypyrrole composites as form-stable phase change materials for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silakhori, Mahyar; Metselaar, Hendrik Simon Cornelis; Mahlia, Teuku Meurah Indra; Fauzi, Hadi; Baradaran, Saeid; Naghavi, Mohammad Sajad

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A novel phase change composite of palmitic acid–polypyrrole(PA–PPy) was fabricated. • Thermal properties of PA–PPy are characterized in different mass ratios of PA–PPy. • Thermal cycling test showed that form stable PCM had a favorable thermal reliability. - Abstract: In this study a novel palmitic acid (PA)/polypyrrole (PPy) form-stable PCMs were readily prepared by in situ polymerization method. PA was used as thermal energy storage material and PPy was operated as supporting material. Form-stable PCMs were investigated by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectrometer) analysis that illustrated PA Particles were wrapped by PPy particles. XRD (X-ray diffractometer) was used for crystalline phase of PA/PPy composites. Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used for investigating Thermal stability and thermal energy storage properties of prepared form-stable PCMs. According to the obtained results the form stable PCMs exhibited favorable thermal stability in terms of their phase change temperature. The form-stable PCMs (79.9 wt% loading of PA) were considered as the highest loading PCM with desirable latent heat storage of 166.3 J/g and good thermal stability. Accelerated thermal cycling tests also showed that form stable PCM had an acceptable thermal reliability. As a consequence of acceptable thermal properties, thermal stability and chemical stability, we can consider the new kind of form stable PCMs for low temperature solar thermal energy storage applications

  5. Measurement of two phase flow properties using the nuclear reactor instruments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albrecht, R.W.; Washington Univ., Seattle; Crowe, R.D.; Dailey, D.J.; Kosaly, G.; Damborg, M.J.

    1982-01-01

    A procedure is introduced for characterizing one dimensional, two phase flow in terms of three properties; propagation, structure, and dynamics. It is shown that all of these properties can be measured by analyzing the response of the reactor neutron field to a two phase flow perturbation. Therefore, a nuclear reactor can be regarded as a two phase flow instrument. (author)

  6. Microencapsulated Phase Change Composite Materials for Energy Efficient Buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thiele, Alexander

    This study aims to elucidate how phase change material (PCM)-composite materials can be leveraged to reduce the energy consumption of buildings and to provide cost savings to ratepayers. Phase change materials (PCMs) can store thermal energy in the form of latent heat when subjected to temperatures exceeding their melting point by undergoing a phase transition from solid to liquid state. Reversibly, PCMs can release this thermal energy when the system temperature falls below their solidification point. The goal in implementing composite PCM walls is to significantly reduce and time-shift the maximum thermal load on the building in order to reduce and smooth out the electricity demand for heating and cooling. This Ph.D. thesis aims to develop a set of thermal design methods and tools for exploring the use of PCM-composite building envelopes and for providing design rules for their practical implementation. First, detailed numerical simulations were used to show that the effective thermal conductivity of core-shell-matrix composites depended only on the volume fraction and thermal conductivity of the constituent materials. The effective medium approximation reported by Felske (2004) was in very good agreement with numerical predictions of the effective thermal conductivity. Second, a carefully validated transient thermal model was used to simulate microencapsulated PCM-composite walls subjected to diurnal or annual outdoor temperature and solar radiation flux. It was established that adding microencapsulated PCM to concrete walls both substantially reduced and delayed the thermal load on the building. Several design rules were established, most notably, (i) increasing the volume fraction of microencapsulated PCM within the wall increases the energy savings but at the potential expense of mechanical properties [1], (ii) the phase change temperature leading to the maximum energy and cost savings should equal the desired indoor temperature regardless of the climate

  7. Preparation and characterization of form-stable paraffin/polyurethane composites as phase change materials for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Keping; Yu, Xuejiang; Tian, Chunrong; Wang, Jianhua

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Paraffin/polyurethane composite as form-stable phase change material was prepared by bulk polymerization. • Paraffin/polyurethane composite possesses typical character of dual phase transition. • Total latent heat of n-eicosane/PUPCM is as high as 141.2 J/g. • Maximum encapsulation ratio for n-octadecane/PUPCM composites is 25% w/w. - Abstract: Polyurethane phase change material (PUPCM) has been demonstrated to be effective solid–solid phase change material for thermal energy storage. However, the high cost and complex process on preparation of PUPCMs with high enthalpy and broad phase transition temperature range can prohibit industrial-scale applications. In this work, a series of novel form-stable paraffin/PUPCMs composites (n-octadecane/PUPCM, n-eicosane/PUPCM and paraffin wax/PUPCM) with high enthalpy and broad phase transition temperature range (20–65 °C) were directly synthesized via bulk polymerization. The composites were prepared at different mass fractions of n-octadecane (10, 20, 25, 30% w/w). The results indicated that the maximum encapsulation ratio for n-octadecane/PUPCM10000 composites was around 25% w/w. The chemical structure and crystalline properties of these composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), polarizing optical microscopy (POM), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). Thermal properties and thermal reliability of the composites were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). From DSC analysis, the composites showed a typical dual phase change temperature. The enthalpy for the composite with 25% w/w n-eicosane was as high as 141.2 J/g. TGA analysis indicated that the composites degraded at considerably high temperatures. The process of preparation of PUPCMs and their composites was very simple, inexpensive, environmental friendly and easy to process into desired shapes, which could find the promising applications in solar

  8. Properties and Applications of the β Phase Poly(vinylidene fluoride

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liuxia Ruan

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Poly(vinylidene fluoride, PVDF, as one of important polymeric materials with extensively scientific interests and technological applications, shows five crystalline polymorphs with α, β, γ, δ and ε phases obtained by different processing methods. Among them, β phase PVDF presents outstanding electrical characteristics including piezo-, pyro-and ferroelectric properties. These electroactive properties are increasingly important in applications such as energy storage, spin valve devices, biomedicine, sensors and smart scaffolds. This article discusses the basic knowledge and character methods for PVDF fabrication and provides an overview of recent advances on the phase modification and recent applications of the β phase PVDF are reported. This study may provide an insight for the development and utilization for β phase PVDF nanofilms in future electronics.

  9. Study of SmS properties in the low pressure phase (black phase)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bordier, G.

    1986-01-01

    SmS was studied for the transition from low pressure phase (black phase) to high pressure phase with an intermediate valence. But the study of the black phase is very rich. The variations of electron transport properties with pressure at low temperature show a semi-metal phase located, in the pressure-temperature diagram in the black phase for pressure over 4 kbars, corresponding to the phase B'of the doping-temperature diagram. Electron spin resonance shows a lack of sulfur and nearby this defect a samarium ion, magnetically coupled with the matrix, presents a divalent trivalent transition. Resonance lines are broadened with temperature. Conductivity relaxations occur at low pressure and low temperature by trapping a conduction electron, by magnetic exchange giving a bounded magnetic polaron. The relaxation time at null magnetic field is activated. An approximation of trapping barrier and critical field corresponding the maximum magnetoresistance is given by a model [fr

  10. Metasurfaces Based on Phase-Change Material as a Reconfigurable Platform for Multifunctional Devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raeis-Hosseini, Niloufar; Rho, Junsuk

    2017-01-01

    Integration of phase-change materials (PCMs) into electrical/optical circuits has initiated extensive innovation for applications of metamaterials (MMs) including rewritable optical data storage, metasurfaces, and optoelectronic devices. PCMs have been studied deeply due to their reversible phase transition, high endurance, switching speed, and data retention. Germanium-antimony-tellurium (GST) is a PCM that has amorphous and crystalline phases with distinct properties, is bistable and nonvolatile, and undergoes a reliable and reproducible phase transition in response to an optical or electrical stimulus; GST may therefore have applications in tunable photonic devices and optoelectronic circuits. In this progress article, we outline recent studies of GST and discuss its advantages and possible applications in reconfigurable metadevices. We also discuss outlooks for integration of GST in active nanophotonic metadevices. PMID:28878196

  11. Crystallographic phases and magnetic properties of iron nitride films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Guo-Ke [Department of Physics, Hebei Advanced Thin Films Laboratory, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China); Department of Mathematics and Physics, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050043 (China); Liu, Yan; Zhao, Rui-Bin [Department of Physics, Hebei Advanced Thin Films Laboratory, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China); Shen, Jun-Jie [Department of Mathematics and Physics, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050043 (China); Wang, Shang; Shan, Pu-Jia; Zhen, Cong-Mian [Department of Physics, Hebei Advanced Thin Films Laboratory, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China); Hou, Deng-Lu, E-mail: houdenglu@mail.hebtu.edu.cn [Department of Physics, Hebei Advanced Thin Films Laboratory, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China)

    2015-08-31

    Iron nitride films, including single phase films of α-FeN (expanded bcc Fe), γ′-Fe{sub 4}N, ε-Fe{sub 3−x}N (0 ≤ x ≤ 1), and γ″-FeN, were sputtered onto AlN buffered glass substrates. It was found possible to control the phases in the films merely by changing the nitrogen partial pressure during deposition. The magnetization decreased with increased nitrogen concentration and dropped to zero when the N:Fe ratio was above 0.5. The experimental results, along with spin polarized band calculations, have been used to discuss and analyze the magnetic properties of iron nitrides. It has been demonstrated that in addition to influencing the lattice constant of the various iron nitrides, the nearest N atoms have a significant influence on the exchange splitting of the Fe atoms. Due to the hybridization of Fe-3d and N-2p states, the magnetic moment of Fe atoms decreases with an increase in the number of nearest neighbor nitrogen atoms. - Highlights: • Single phase γ′-Fe{sub 4}N, ε-Fe{sub 3−x}N, and γ″-FeN films were obtained using dc sputtering. • The phases in iron nitride films can be controlled by the nitrogen partial pressure. • The nearest N neighbors have a significant influence on the exchange splitting of Fe.

  12. Crystallographic phases and magnetic properties of iron nitride films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Guo-Ke; Liu, Yan; Zhao, Rui-Bin; Shen, Jun-Jie; Wang, Shang; Shan, Pu-Jia; Zhen, Cong-Mian; Hou, Deng-Lu

    2015-01-01

    Iron nitride films, including single phase films of α-FeN (expanded bcc Fe), γ′-Fe 4 N, ε-Fe 3−x N (0 ≤ x ≤ 1), and γ″-FeN, were sputtered onto AlN buffered glass substrates. It was found possible to control the phases in the films merely by changing the nitrogen partial pressure during deposition. The magnetization decreased with increased nitrogen concentration and dropped to zero when the N:Fe ratio was above 0.5. The experimental results, along with spin polarized band calculations, have been used to discuss and analyze the magnetic properties of iron nitrides. It has been demonstrated that in addition to influencing the lattice constant of the various iron nitrides, the nearest N atoms have a significant influence on the exchange splitting of the Fe atoms. Due to the hybridization of Fe-3d and N-2p states, the magnetic moment of Fe atoms decreases with an increase in the number of nearest neighbor nitrogen atoms. - Highlights: • Single phase γ′-Fe 4 N, ε-Fe 3−x N, and γ″-FeN films were obtained using dc sputtering. • The phases in iron nitride films can be controlled by the nitrogen partial pressure. • The nearest N neighbors have a significant influence on the exchange splitting of Fe

  13. Feasibility of using microencapsulated phase change materials as filler for improving low temperature performance of rubber sealing materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwari, Avinash; Shubin, Sergey N; Alcock, Ben; Freidin, Alexander B; Thorkildsen, Brede; Echtermeyer, Andreas T

    2017-11-01

    The feasibility of a novel composite rubber sealing material to improve sealing under transient cooling (in a so-called blowdown scenario) is investigated here. A composite of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) filled with Micro Encapsulated Phase Change Materials (MEPCM) is described. The fillers contain phase change materials that release heat during the phase transformation from liquid to solid while cooling. This exotherm locally heats the rubber and may improve the function of the seal during a blowdown event. A representative HNBR-MEPCM composite was made and the critical thermal and mechanical properties were obtained by simulating the temperature distribution during a blowdown event. Simulations predict that the MEPCM composites can delay the temperature decrease in a region of the seal during the transient blowdown. A sensitivity analysis of material properties is also presented which highlights possible avenues of improvement of the MEPCMs for sealing applications.

  14. Effects of phase change on reflection in phase-measuring interference microscopy

    OpenAIRE

    Dubois , Arnaud

    2004-01-01

    International audience; We show by analytical and numerical calculations that the phase change on reflection that occurs in interference microscopy is almost independent of the numerical aperture of the objective. The shift of the microscope interferogram response due to the phase change on reflection, however, increases with the numerical aperture. Measurements of the interferogram shift are made with a Linnik interference microscope equipped with various numerical-aperture objectives and ar...

  15. Effects of the phase fractions on the carbide morphologies, Charpy and tensile properties in SA508 Gr.4N High Strength Low Alloy RPV Steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Sang Gyu; Wee, Dang Moon [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Min Chul; Lee, Bong Sang [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-05-15

    To improve the strength and toughness of RPV (reactor pressure vessel) steels for nuclear power plants, an effective way is the change of material specification from tempered bainitic SA508 Gr.3 Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steel into tempered martensitic/bainitic SA508 Gr.4N Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel. It is known that the phase fractions of martensitic/bainitic steels are very sensitive to the austenitizing cooling rates. Kim reported that there are large differences of austenitizing cooling rates between the surface and the center locations in RPV due to its thickness of 250mm. Hence, the martensite/bainite fractions would be changed in different locations, and it would affect the microstructure and mechanical properties in Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel. These results may lead to inhomogeneous characteristics after austenitizing. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the changes of microstructure and mechanical properties with varying phase fractions in Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel. In this study, the effects of martensite/bainite fractions on microstructure and mechanical properties in Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel were examined. The changes in phase fractions of Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel with different cooling rates were analyzed, and then the phase fractions were correlated with its microstructural observation and mechanical properties

  16. Development of Phase Change Materials for RF Switch Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Matthew Russell

    For decades chalcogenide-based phase change materials (PCMs) have been reliably implemented in optical storage and digital memory platforms. Owing to the substantial differences in optical and electronic properties between crystalline and amorphous states, device architectures requiring a "1" and "0" or "ON" and "OFF" states are attainable with PCMs if a method for amorphizing and crystallizing the PCM is demonstrated. Taking advantage of more than just the binary nature of PCM electronic properties, recent reports have shown that the near-metallic resistivity of some PCMs allow one to manufacture high performance RF switches and related circuit technologies. One of the more promising RF switch technologies is the Inline Phase Change Switch (IPCS) which utilizes GeTe as the active material. Initial reports show that an electrically isolated, thermally coupled thin film heater can successfully convert GeTe between crystalline and amorphous states, and with proper design an RF figure of merit cutoff frequency (FCO) of 12.5 THz can be achieved. In order to realize such world class performance a significant development effort was undertaken to understand the relationship between fundamental GeTe properties, thin film deposition method and resultant device properties. Deposition pressure was found to be the most important deposition process parameter, as it was found to control Ge:Te ratio, oxygen content, Ar content, film density and surface roughness. Ultimately a first generation deposition process produced GeTe films with a crystalline resistivity of 3 ohm-mum. Upon implementing these films into IPCS devices, post-cycling morphological analysis was undertaken using STEM and related analyses. It was revealed that massive structural changes occur in the GeTe during switching, most notably the formation of an assembly of voids along the device centerline and large GeTe grains on either side of the so-called active region. Restructuring of this variety was tied to

  17. Phase changing nanocomposites for low temperature thermal energy storage and release

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Dorigato

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to develop new elastomeric phase change materials (PCM for the thermal energy storage/release below room temperature. In particular, poly(cyclooctene (PCO/paraffin blends filled with various concentrations of carbon nanotubes (CNTs, were prepared by a melt compounding process. The microstructural, thermo-mechanical and electrical properties of the resulting materials were investigated. The microstructure of these materials was characterized by the presence of paraffin domains inside the PCO, and CNTs were located only inside the paraffin domains in forms of aggregated clusters. DSC tests evidenced the existence of two distinct crystallization peaks at –10 and at 6 °C, respectively associated to the paraffin and the PCO phases, indicating that both the polymeric constituents are thermally active below room temperature. Moreover, CNT addition did not substantially alter the melting/crystallization properties of the material. Noticeable improvements of the mechanical properties and of the electrical conductivity with respect to the neat PCO/paraffin blend could be obtained upon CNT addition, and also thermal conductivity/diffusivity values were considerably enhanced above the percolation threshold. Finite element modeling demonstrated the efficacy of the prepared nanocomposites for applications in the thermal range from –30 to 6 °C.

  18. Effect of stimulated phase separation on properties of blue, green and monolithic white LEDs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsatsulnikov, A.F.; Lundin, W.V.; Sakharov, A.V.; Zavarin, E.E.; Nikolaev, A.E.; Sizov, V.S. [Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Politekhnicheskaya Str. 26, 194021 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Usov, S.O.; Zakgeim, A.L.; Mizerov, M.N. [Submicron Heterostructures for Microelectronics Research and Engineering Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Politekhnicheskaya Str. 26, 194021 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Cherkashin, N.A.; Hytch, M. [CEMES-CNRS, Universite de Toulouse, Toulouse (France)

    2012-03-15

    Different methods of stimulation of phase separation in an InGaN QWs by technological methods and by design of structure were investigated. Effect of admixing of hydrogen during growth interruptions (GIs) after deposition of the InGaN QWs on their structural and optical properties and properties of InGaN-based LEDs was investigated. Effect of growth pressure on the phase separation was investigated and formation of separate InGaN islands at increase in growth pressure was revealed. It was shown that the phase separation is stimulated in composite InAlN/GaN/InGaN heterostructures and formation of well isolated InGaN islands was observed. Effect of the phase separation on the properties of the blue and deep green LEDs was investigated and strong changes in the spectral position and current dependence of the quantum efficiency were revealed. It was shown that formation of the island due to the phase separation allows control position and width of the emission line and maximum in current dependence of the quantum efficiency. Monolithic white LEDs are containing in active region blue and green InGaN QWs grown with applying of the GIs and emitting in spectral range from 440 nm to 560 nm were studied. Monolithic white LEDs having optimal design of active region demonstrate CCT in the range of 9000-12000 K and maximal external quantum efficiency up to 14 lm/W. (copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  19. Integrating Phase-Change Materials into Automotive Thermoelectric Generators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klein Altstedde, Mirko; Rinderknecht, Frank; Friedrich, Horst

    2014-06-01

    Because the heat emitted by conventional combustion-engine vehicles during operation has highly transient properties, automotive thermoelectric generators (TEG) are intended for a particular operating state (design point). This, however, leads to two problems. First, whenever the combustion engine runs at low load, the maximum operating temperature cannot be properly utilised; second, a combustion engine at high load requires partial diversion of exhaust gas away from the TEG to protect the thermoelectric modules. An attractive means of stabilising dynamic exhaust behaviour (thereby keeping the TEG operating status at the design point for as long as possible) is use of latent heat storage, also known as phase-change materials (PCM). By positioning PCM between module and exhaust heat conduit, and choosing a material with a phase-change temperature matching the module's optimum operating temperature, it can be used as heat storage. This paper presents results obtained during examination of the effect of integration of latent heat storage on the potential of automotive TEG to convert exhaust heat. The research resulted in the development of a concept based on the initial integration idea, followed by proof of concept by use of a specially created prototype. In addition, the potential amount of energy obtained by use of a PCM-equipped TEG was calculated. The simulations indicated a significant increase in electrical energy was obtained in the selected test cycle.

  20. Phase-change related epigenetic and physiological changes in Pinus radiata D. Don.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraga, Mario F; Cañal, Maria Jesús; Rodríguez, Roberto

    2002-08-01

    DNA methylation and polyamine levels were analysed before and after Pinus radiata D. Don. phase change in order to identify possible molecular and physiological phase markers. Juvenile individuals (without reproductive ability) were characterised by a degree of DNA methylation of 30-35% and a ratio of free polyamines to perchloric acid-soluble polyamine conjugates greater than 1, while mature trees (with reproductive ability) had 60% 5-methylcytosine and a ratio of free polyamines to perchloric acid-soluble polyamine conjugates of less than 1. Results obtained with trees that attained reproductive capacity during the experimental period confirmed that changes in the degree of DNA methylation and polyamine concentrations found among juvenile and mature states come about immediately after the phase change. We suggest that both indicators may be associated with the loss of morphogenic ability during ageing, particularly after phase change, through a number of molecular interactions, which are subsequently discussed.

  1. Novel Magnetic-to-Thermal Conversion and Thermal Energy Management Composite Phase Change Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoqiao Fan

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Superparamagnetic materials have elicited increasing interest due to their high-efficiency magnetothermal conversion. However, it is difficult to effectively manage the magnetothermal energy due to the continuous magnetothermal effect at present. In this study, we designed and synthesized a novel Fe3O4/PEG/SiO2 composite phase change material (PCM that can simultaneously realize magnetic-to-thermal conversion and thermal energy management because of outstanding thermal energy storage ability of PCM. The composite was fabricated by in situ doping of superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoclusters through a simple sol–gel method. The synthesized Fe3O4/PEG/SiO2 PCM exhibited good thermal stability, high phase change enthalpy, and excellent shape-stabilized property. This study provides an additional promising route for application of the magnetothermal effect.

  2. Effect of nonionic compound emulsifiers Tween80 and Span80 on the properties of microencapsulated phase change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhan, Shiping; Zhou, Zhiyi; Wang, Weijing; Zhao, Qicheng; Hou, Weimin

    2014-01-01

    In this article, the nonionic compound emulsifiers Tween80 and Span80 were used to prepare microcapsules containing phase change materials (microPCMs) with melamine-formaldehyde (MF) shells by in situ polymerization method. The effects of compound emulsifiers Tween80 and Span80 on the structure, morphologies and properties of microPCMs containing paraffin were studied. SEM morphological investigation suggests that a complex of Tween80 and Span80 as emulsifiers are optimal for the fabrication of microPCMs in this study compared to Tween60 or OP-10. The diameter distributions of microPCMs synthesized with different amounts of compound emulsifiers are uniform, whereas compound emulsifiers' amount affect the mean diameter of microPCMs decreasing from 5.34 to 3.05 µm. These microPCMs with the core/shell weight ratio 3/1 have smoother surface and a higher core content of 68.7% than other core/shell ratio. Anti-osmosis measurements indicate that microPCMs have good compactness and stable performance compared to those synthesized by one type of emulsifier.

  3. Influences of W Content on the Phase Transformation Properties and the Associated Stress Change in Thin Film Substrate Combinations Studied by Fabrication and Characterization of Thin Film V1- xW xO2 Materials Libraries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiao; Rogalla, Detlef; Ludwig, Alfred

    2018-04-09

    The mechanical stress change of VO 2 film substrate combinations during their reversible phase transformation makes them promising for applications in micro/nanoactuators. V 1- x W x O 2 thin film libraries were fabricated by reactive combinatorial cosputtering to investigate the effects of the addition of W on mechanical and other transformation properties. High-throughput characterization methods were used to systematically determine the composition spread, crystalline structure, surface topography, as well as the temperature-dependent phase transformation properties, that is, the hysteresis curves of the resistance and stress change. The study indicates that as x in V 1- x W x O 2 increases from 0.007 to 0.044 the crystalline structure gradually shifts from the VO 2 (M) phase to the VO 2 (R) phase. The transformation temperature decreases by 15 K/at. % and the resistance change is reduced to 1 order of magnitude, accompanied by a wider transition range and a narrower hysteresis with a minimal value of 1.8 K. A V 1- x W x O 2 library deposited on a Si 3 N 4 /SiO 2 -coated Si cantilever array wafer was used to study simultaneously the temperature-dependent stress change σ( T) of films with different W content through the phase transformation. Compared with σ( T) of ∼700 MPa of a VO 2 film, σ( T) in V 1- x W x O 2 films decreases to ∼250 MPa. Meanwhile, σ( T) becomes less abrupt and occurs over a wider temperature range with decreased transformation temperatures.

  4. Low-Temperature Aging of Delta-Ferrite in 316L SS Welds; Changes in Mechanical Properties and Etching Properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abe, Hiroshi; Shimizu, Keita; Watanabe, Yutaka

    Thermal aging embrittlement of LWR components made of stainless cast (e.g. CF-8 and CF-8M) is a potential degradation issue, and careful attention has been paid on it. Although welds of austenitic stainless steels (SSs) have γ-δ duplex microstructure, which is similar to that of the stainless cast, examination on thermal aging characteristics of the SS welds is very limited. In order to evaluate thermal aging behavior of weld metal of austenitic stainless steel, the 316L SS weld metal has been prepared and changes in mechanical properties and in etching properties at isothermal aging at 335°C have been investigated. The hardness of the ferrite phase has increased with aging, while the hardness of austenite phase has stayed same. It has been suggested that spinodal decomposition has occurred in δ-ferrite by the 335°C aging. The etching rates of δ-ferrite at immersion test in 5wt% hydrochloric acid solution have been also investigated using an AFM technique. The etching rate of ferrite phase has decreased consistently with the increase in hardness of ferrite phase. It has been thought that this characteristic is also caused by spinodal decomposition of ferrite into chromium-rich (α') and iron-rich (α).

  5. Heat storage system utilizing phase change materials government rights

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salyer, Ival O.

    2000-09-12

    A thermal energy transport and storage system is provided which includes an evaporator containing a mixture of a first phase change material and a silica powder, and a condenser containing a second phase change material. The silica powder/PCM mixture absorbs heat energy from a source such as a solar collector such that the phase change material forms a vapor which is transported from the evaporator to the condenser, where the second phase change material melts and stores the heat energy, then releases the energy to an environmental space via a heat exchanger. The vapor is condensed to a liquid which is transported back to the evaporator. The system allows the repeated transfer of thermal energy using the heat of vaporization and condensation of the phase change material.

  6. Passive thermal management using phase change materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganatra, Yash Yogesh

    The trend of enhanced functionality and reducing thickness of mobile devices has. led to a rapid increase in power density and a potential thermal bottleneck since. thermal limits of components remain unchanged. Active cooling mechanisms are not. feasible due to size, weight and cost constraints. This work explores the feasibility. of a passive cooling system based on Phase Change Materials (PCMs) for thermal. management of mobile devices. PCMs stabilize temperatures due to the latent heat. of phase change thus increasing the operating time of the device before threshold. temperatures are exceeded. The primary contribution of this work is the identification. of key parameters which influence the design of a PCM based thermal management. system from both the experiments and the numerical models. This work first identifies strategies for integrating PCMs in an electronic device. A. detailed review of past research, including experimental techniques and computational. models, yields key material properties and metrics to evaluate the performance of. PCMs. Subsequently, a miniaturized version of a conventional thermal conductivity. measurement technique is developed to characterize thermal resistance of PCMs. Further, latent heat and transition temperatures are also characterized for a wide. range of PCMs. In-situ measurements with PCMs placed on the processor indicate that some. PCMs can extend the operating time of the device by as much as a factor of 2.48. relative to baseline tests (with no PCMs). This increase in operating time is investigated. by computational thermal models that explore various integration locations, both at the package and device level.

  7. Flexible, Phase Change Fabric for Deployable Decelerators, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — SDMA proposes to develop a flexible fabric containing Phase Change Materials that is suitable for use on Deployable Decelerators. This technology will make...

  8. A Scanning Hologram Recorded by Phase Conjugate Property of Nonlinear Crystals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zi-Liang, Ping; Dalsgaard, Erik

    1996-01-01

    A methode of recording a scanning hologram with phase conjugate property of nonlinear crystal is provided. The principle of recording, setup and experiments are given.......A methode of recording a scanning hologram with phase conjugate property of nonlinear crystal is provided. The principle of recording, setup and experiments are given....

  9. Physical properties of antiferromagnetic Mn doped ZnO samples: Role of impurity phase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neogi, S. K.; Karmakar, R.; Misra, A. K.; Banerjee, A.; Das, D.; Bandyopadhyay, S.

    2013-11-01

    Structural, morphological, optical, and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Zn1-xMnxO samples (x=0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.10) prepared by the sol-gel route are studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). XRD confirms formation of wurzite structure in all the Mn-substituted samples. A systematic increase in lattice constants and decrease in grain size have been observed with increase in manganese doping concentration up to 6 at% in the ZnO structure. An impurity phase (ZnMnO3) has been detected when percentage of Mn concentration is 6 at% or higher. The optical band gap of the Mn-substituted ZnO samples decrease with increase in doping concentration of manganese whereas the width of the localized states increases. The antiferromagnetic exchange interaction is strong in the samples for 2 and 4 at% of Mn doping but it reduces when the doping level increases from 6 at% and further. Positron life time components τ1 and τ2 are found to decrease when concentration of the dopant exceeds 6 at%. The changes in magnetic properties as well as positron annihilation parameters at higher manganese concentration have been assigned as due to the formation of impurity phase. Single phase structure has been observed up to 6 at% of Mn doping. Impurity phase has been developed above 6 at% of Mn doping. Antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic interactions are present in the samples. Defect parameters show sharp fall as Mn concentration above 6 at%. The magnetic and defect properties are modified by the formation of impurity phase.

  10. Physical properties of antiferromagnetic Mn doped ZnO samples: Role of impurity phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neogi, S.K.; Karmakar, R.; Misra, A.K.; Banerjee, A.; Das, D.; Bandyopadhyay, S.

    2013-01-01

    Structural, morphological, optical, and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Zn 1−x Mn x O samples (x=0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.10) prepared by the sol–gel route are studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). XRD confirms formation of wurzite structure in all the Mn-substituted samples. A systematic increase in lattice constants and decrease in grain size have been observed with increase in manganese doping concentration up to 6 at% in the ZnO structure. An impurity phase (ZnMnO 3 ) has been detected when percentage of Mn concentration is 6 at% or higher. The optical band gap of the Mn-substituted ZnO samples decrease with increase in doping concentration of manganese whereas the width of the localized states increases. The antiferromagnetic exchange interaction is strong in the samples for 2 and 4 at% of Mn doping but it reduces when the doping level increases from 6 at% and further. Positron life time components τ 1 and τ 2 are found to decrease when concentration of the dopant exceeds 6 at%. The changes in magnetic properties as well as positron annihilation parameters at higher manganese concentration have been assigned as due to the formation of impurity phase. - highlights: • Single phase structure has been observed up to 6 at% of Mn doping. • Impurity phase has been developed above 6 at% of Mn doping. • Antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic interactions are present in the samples. • Defect parameters show sharp fall as Mn concentration above 6 at%. • The magnetic and defect properties are modified by the formation of impurity phase

  11. Physical properties of antiferromagnetic Mn doped ZnO samples: Role of impurity phase

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neogi, S.K.; Karmakar, R. [Department of Physics, University of Calcutta, 92 A.P.C. Road, Kolkata 700009 (India); Misra, A.K. [UGC DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700064 (India); Banerjee, A. [Department of Physics, University of Calcutta, 92 A.P.C. Road, Kolkata 700009 (India); CRNN, University of Calcutta, JD 2, Sector III, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700098 (India); Das, D. [UGC DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700064 (India); Bandyopadhyay, S., E-mail: sbaphy@caluniv.ac.in [Department of Physics, University of Calcutta, 92 A.P.C. Road, Kolkata 700009 (India); CRNN, University of Calcutta, JD 2, Sector III, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700098 (India)

    2013-11-15

    Structural, morphological, optical, and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Zn{sub 1−x}Mn{sub x}O samples (x=0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.10) prepared by the sol–gel route are studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). XRD confirms formation of wurzite structure in all the Mn-substituted samples. A systematic increase in lattice constants and decrease in grain size have been observed with increase in manganese doping concentration up to 6 at% in the ZnO structure. An impurity phase (ZnMnO{sub 3}) has been detected when percentage of Mn concentration is 6 at% or higher. The optical band gap of the Mn-substituted ZnO samples decrease with increase in doping concentration of manganese whereas the width of the localized states increases. The antiferromagnetic exchange interaction is strong in the samples for 2 and 4 at% of Mn doping but it reduces when the doping level increases from 6 at% and further. Positron life time components τ{sub 1} and τ{sub 2} are found to decrease when concentration of the dopant exceeds 6 at%. The changes in magnetic properties as well as positron annihilation parameters at higher manganese concentration have been assigned as due to the formation of impurity phase. - highlights: • Single phase structure has been observed up to 6 at% of Mn doping. • Impurity phase has been developed above 6 at% of Mn doping. • Antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic interactions are present in the samples. • Defect parameters show sharp fall as Mn concentration above 6 at%. • The magnetic and defect properties are modified by the formation of impurity phase.

  12. Applications of fibrous substrates containing insolubilized phase change polymers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vigo, Tyrone L.; Bruno, Joseph S.

    1993-01-01

    Incorporation of polyethylene glycols into fibrous substrates produces several improved functional properties when they are insolubilized by crosslinking with a methylolamide resin or by polyacetal formation by their reaction with glyoxal. The range of molecular weights of polyols that may be insolubilized is broad as are the curing conditions (0.25-10 min at 80-200C). Most representative fiber types and blends (natural and synthetic) and all types of fabric constructions (woven, nonwoven and knit) have been modified by incorporation of the bound polyols. The most novel property is the thermal adaptability of the modified substrates to many climatic conditions. This adaptability is due to the high latent heat of the crosslinked polyols that function as phase change materials, the hydrophilic nature of the crosslinked polymer and its enhanced thermal conductivity. Other enhanced properties imparted to fabrics include flex and flat abrasion, antimicrobial activity, reduced static charge, resistance to oily soils, resiliency, wind resistance and reduced lint loss. Applications commercialized in the U.S. and Japan include sportswear and skiwear. Several examples of electric sets of properties useful for specific end uses are given. In addition, other uses are biomedical horticultural, aerospace, indoor insulation, automotive interiors and components and packaging material.

  13. Applications of fibrous substrates containing insolubilized phase change polymers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vigo, Tyrone L.; Bruno, Joseph S.

    1993-02-01

    Incorporation of polyethylene glycols into fibrous substrates produces several improved functional properties when they are insolubilized by crosslinking with a methylolamide resin or by polyacetal formation by their reaction with glyoxal. The range of molecular weights of polyols that may be insolubilized is broad as are the curing conditions (0.25-10 min at 80-200C). Most representative fiber types and blends (natural and synthetic) and all types of fabric constructions (woven, nonwoven and knit) have been modified by incorporation of the bound polyols. The most novel property is the thermal adaptability of the modified substrates to many climatic conditions. This adaptability is due to the high latent heat of the crosslinked polyols that function as phase change materials, the hydrophilic nature of the crosslinked polymer and its enhanced thermal conductivity. Other enhanced properties imparted to fabrics include flex and flat abrasion, antimicrobial activity, reduced static charge, resistance to oily soils, resiliency, wind resistance and reduced lint loss. Applications commercialized in the U.S. and Japan include sportswear and skiwear. Several examples of electric sets of properties useful for specific end uses are given. In addition, other uses are biomedical horticultural, aerospace, indoor insulation, automotive interiors and components and packaging material.

  14. Carbon nanotube/paraffin/montmorillonite composite phase change material for thermal energy storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Min; Guo, Qiangang; Nutt, Steven

    2017-04-01

    A composite phase change material (PCM) comprised of organic montmorillonite (OMMT)/paraffin/grafted multi-walled nanotube (MWNT) is synthesized via ultrasonic dispersion and liquid intercalation. The microstructure of the composite PCM has been characterized to determine the phase distribution, and thermal properties (latent heat and thermal conductivity) have been measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and a thermal constant analyzer. The results show that paraffin molecules are intercalated in the montmorillonite layers and the grafted MWNTs are dispersed in the montmorillonite layers. The latent heat is 47.1 J/g, and the thermal conductivity of the OMMT/paraffin/grafted MWNT composites is 34% higher than that of the OMMT/paraffin composites and 65% higher than that of paraffin.

  15. Fatigue Damage Evaluation of Short Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics Based on Phase Information of Thermoelastic Temperature Change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiozawa, Daiki; Sakagami, Takahide; Nakamura, Yu; Nonaka, Shinichi; Hamada, Kenichi

    2017-12-06

    Carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) is widely used for structural members of transportation vehicles such as automobile, aircraft, or spacecraft, utilizing its excellent specific strength and specific rigidity in contrast with the metal. Short carbon fiber composite materials are receiving a lot of attentions because of their excellent moldability and productivity, however they show complicated behaviors in fatigue fracture due to the random fibers orientation. In this study, thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) using an infrared thermography was applied to evaluate fatigue damage in short carbon fiber composites. The distribution of the thermoelastic temperature change was measured during the fatigue test, as well as the phase difference between the thermoelastic temperature change and applied loading signal. Evolution of fatigue damage was detected from the distribution of thermoelastic temperature change according to the thermoelastic damage analysis (TDA) procedure. It was also found that fatigue damage evolution was more clearly detected than before by the newly developed thermoelastic phase damage analysis (TPDA) in which damaged area was emphasized in the differential phase delay images utilizing the property that carbon fiber shows opposite phase thermoelastic temperature change.

  16. Phase change thermal energy storage methods for combat vehicles, phase 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lynch, F. E.

    1986-06-01

    Three alternative cooling methods, based on latent heat absorption during phase changes, were studied for potential use in combat vehicle microclimate temperature control. Metal hydrides absorb heat as they release hydrogen gas. Plastic crystals change from one solid phase to another, absorbing heat in the process. Liquid air boils at cryogenic temperature and absorbs additional sensible heat as the cold gas mixes with the microclimate air flow. System designs were prepared for each of the three microclimate cooling concepts. These designs provide details about the three phase change materials, their containers and the auxiliary equipment needed to implement each option onboard a combat vehicle. The three concepts were compared on the basis of system mass, system volume and the energy required to regenerate them after use. Metal hydrides were found to be the lightest and smallest option by a large margin. The energy needed to regenerate a hydride thermal storage system can be extracted from the vehicle's exhaust gases.

  17. Role of potential fluctuations in phase-change GST memory devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Agarwal, Satish C. [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016 (India)

    2012-10-15

    The long range potential fluctuations (LRPFs) arising from the defects and heterogeneities in disordered semiconductors are important for understanding their atomic and electronic properties. Here, they are measured in Ge{sub X}Sb{sub Y}Te{sub 1-X-Y} (GST) chalcogenide glasses used in rewritable phase change memory (PCM) devices. It is found that the most commonly used composition Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} has the smallest LRPF amongst its nearby compositions. This finding may be useful in the search for better PCM materials. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  18. Thermal Response Of An Aerated Concrete Wall With Micro-Encapsulated Phase Change Material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halúzová, Dušana

    2015-06-01

    For many years Phase Change Materials (PCM) have attracted attention due to their ability to store large amounts of thermal energy. This property makes them a candidate for the use of passive heat storage. In many applications, they are used to avoid the overheating of the temperature of an indoor environment. This paper describes the behavior of phase change materials that are inbuilt in aerated concrete blocks. Two building samples of an aerated concrete wall were measured in laboratory equipment called "twin-boxes". The first box consists of a traditional aerated concrete wall; the second one has additional PCM micro-encapsulated in the wall. The heat flux through the wall was measured and compared to simulation results modeled in the ESP-r program. This experimental measurement provides a foundation for a model that can be used to analyze further building constructions.

  19. The phase-change kinetics of amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 and device characteristics investigated by thin-film mechanics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Ju-Young; Kim, Dohyung; Park, Yong-Jin; Yang, Tae-Youl; Lee, Yoo-Yong; Joo, Young-Chang

    2015-01-01

    For high switching speed and high reliability of phase-change random access memory (PcRAM), we need to identify materials that enable fast crystallization at elevated temperatures but are stable at and above room temperature. Achieving this goal requires a breakthrough in our understanding of the unique crystallization kinetics of amorphous phase change materials as a fragile glass, described as the non-Arrhenius behavior of atomic mobility. It is a highly rewarding task to unravel the unconventional crystallization kinetics and related properties, because these properties can be utilized to predict the device characteristics. This manuscript utilizes the thin-film mechanics to investigate the crystallization kinetics of amorphous Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 phase-change materials doped with Al, Bi, C and N, which is an effective method to analyze the structural changes in amorphous materials. Crystallization temperature, super-cooled liquid region, glass transition temperature and fragility are measured to describe the crystallization kinetics tuned by doping; characteristic fragile-to-strong transition is observed for C and N dopings due to their structural feature as an interstitial dopant. Consequently, doping effects on the phase stability and atomic mobility manifested by the crystallization temperature and the super-cooled liquid region (or 1/fragility) successfully correspond with PcRAM characteristics, i.e., reliability and switching speed, respectively

  20. New graphite/salt materials for high temperature energy storage. Phase change properties study; Nouveaux materiaux graphite/sel pour le stockage d'energie a haute temperature. Etude des proprietes de changement de phase

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lopez, J

    2007-07-15

    This work is a contribution to the study of new graphite/salt composites dedicated to high temperature energy storage ({>=}200 C). The aim is to analyse and to understand the influence of both graphite and composite microstructure on the phase change properties of salts. This PhD is carried out within the framework of two projects: DISTOR (European) and HTPSTOCK (French). The major contributions of this work are threefold: 1) An important database (solid-liquid phase change properties) is provided from the DSC analysis of six salts and the corresponding composites. 2) Rigorous modeling of salts melting in confined media in several geometries are proposed to understand why, during the first melting of the compression elaborated composites, problems of salt leakage are observed. These models show that the materials morphology is responsible for these phenomena: the graphite matrix restrains the volume expansion due to salt melting: salt melts under pressure, which leads to a melting on a large temperature range and to a loss of energy density. Sensitivity analysis of parameters (geometric and physic) shows that matrix rigidity modulus is the parameter on which it is necessary to act during the composites elaboration to blur this phenomenon. 3) Finally, this work proposes a thermodynamic formulation of both surface/interface phenomena and the presence of dissolved impurities being able to explain a melting point lowering. It seems that the melting point lowering observed ({approx} 5 C) are mainly due to the presence of dissolved impurities (brought by graphite) in the liquid, along with an additional Gibbs-Thomson effect ({approx} 1 C, related to the size of the clusters crystals). (author)

  1. Cr-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 for ultra-long data retention phase change memory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Qing; Xia, Yangyang; Zheng, Yonghui; Zhang, Qi; Liu, Bo; Song, Sannian; Cheng, Yan; Song, Zhitang; Feng, Songlin; Huo, Ruru

    2015-01-01

    Phase change memory is regarded as one of the most promising candidates for the next-generation non-volatile memory. Its storage medium, phase change material, has attracted continuous exploration. Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 (GST) is the most popular phase change material, but its thermal stability needs to be improved when used in some fields at high temperature (more than 120 °C). In this paper, we doped Cr atoms into GST and obtained Cr 10 (Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 ) 90 (labeled as Cr-GST) with high thermal stability. For Cr-GST film, the sheet resistance ratio between amorphous and crystalline states is high up to 3 orders of magnitude. The crystalline Cr-GST film inherits the phase structure of GST, with metastable face-centered cubic phase and/or stable hexagonal phase. The doped Cr atoms not only bond with other atoms but also help to improve the anti-oxidation property of Cr-GST. As for the amorphous thermal stability, the calculated temperature for 10-year-data-retention of Cr-GST film, based on the Arrhenius equation, is about 180 °C. The threshold current and threshold voltage of a cell based on Cr-GST are about 6 μA and 2.7 V. The cell could be operated by suitable voltages for more than 40 000 cycles. Thus, Cr-GST is proved to be a promising phase change material with ultra-long data retention

  2. Experimental determination of the heat transfer and cold storage characteristics of a microencapsulated phase change material in a horizontal tank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allouche, Yosr; Varga, Szabolcs; Bouden, Chiheb; Oliveira, Armando C.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Cold storage characteristics in latent and sensible heat storage mediums were studied. • Thermo-physical characterization of the phase change material was carried out. • A non-Newtonian shear thickening behavior of the phase change material was observed. • An energy storage enhancement (53%) was observed in the latent heat storage medium. - Abstract: In the present paper, the performance of a microencapsulated phase change material (in 45% w/w concentration) for low temperature thermal energy storage, suitable for air conditioning applications is studied. The results are compared to a sensible heat storage unit using water. Thermo-physical properties such as the specific heat, enthalpy variation, thermal conductivity and density are also experimentally determined. The non-Newtonian shear-thickening behavior of the phase change material slurry is quantified. Thermal energy performance is experimentally determined for a 100 l horizontal tank. The heat transfer between the heat transfer fluid and the phase change material was provided by a tube-bundle heat exchanger inside the tank. The results show that the amount of energy stored using the phase change material is 53% higher than for water after 10 h of charging, for the same storage tank volume. It was found that the heat transfer coefficient between the phase change material and the tube wall increases during the phase change temperature range, however it remains smaller than the values obtained for water

  3. Synthesis and performances of novel solid–solid phase change materials with hexahydroxy compounds for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Changzhong; Liu, Wenmin; Wang, Hongwei; Peng, Kelin

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Three new kinds of SSPCMs were synthesized with different skeleton materials. • The phase change properties and thermal stability of SSPCMs were investigated. • The maximum enthalpy in heating (cooling) process is 107.5 kJ/kg (102.9 kJ/kg). • The rigid groups and crosslinking structure of SSPCMs improve the thermal stability. • The SSPCMs could be applied in the temperature range of 30–70 °C. - Abstract: Three kinds of new polymeric SSPCMs with different crosslinking structures were synthesized and characterized for thermal energy storage. In the SSPCMs, three hexahydroxy compounds (sorbitol, dipentaerythritol and inositol) were individually employed as the molecular skeleton and polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used as the phase change functional chain. The molecular structure, crystalline properties, phase change behaviors, thermal reliability and stability of the synthesized SSPCMs were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG), respectively. The results show that the prepared SSPCMs possess high thermal energy storage density and an applicable temperature range of 30–70 °C, and the maximum phase change enthalpy in the heating and cooling process for the SSPCMs is 107.5 kJ/kg and 102.9 kJ/kg, respectively. The prepared SSPCMs have good reusability, excellent thermal reliability and stability from the heating-cooling thermal cycle test and TG curves. The resultant SSPCMs could be potentially applied in the areas of thermal energy storage and temperature-control

  4. Preparation, Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Cement Board with Expanded Perlite Based Composite Phase Change Material for Improving Buildings Thermal Behavior

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rongda Ye

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Here we demonstrate the mechanical properties, thermal conductivity, and thermal energy storage performance of construction elements made of cement and form-stable PCM-Rubitherm® RT 28 HC (RT28/expanded perlite (EP composite phase change materials (PCMs. The composite PCMs were prepared by adsorbing RT28 into the pores of EP, in which the mass fraction of RT28 should be limited to be no more than 40 wt %. The adsorbed RT28 is observed to be uniformly confined into the pores of EP. The phase change temperatures of the RT28/EP composite PCMs are very close to that of the pure RT28. The apparent density and compression strength of the composite cubes increase linearly with the mass fraction of RT28. Compared with the thermal conductivity of the boards composed of cement and EP, the thermal conductivities of the composite boards containing RT28 increase by 15%–35% with the mass fraction increasing of RT28. The cubic test rooms that consist of six boards were built to evaluate the thermal energy storage performance, it is found that the maximum temperature different between the outside surface of the top board with the indoor temperature using the composite boards is 13.3 °C higher than that of the boards containing no RT28. The thermal mass increase of the built environment due to the application of composite boards can contribute to improving the indoor thermal comfort and reducing the energy consumption in the buildings.

  5. Preparation, Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Cement Board with Expanded Perlite Based Composite Phase Change Material for Improving Buildings Thermal Behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Rongda; Fang, Xiaoming; Zhang, Zhengguo; Gao, Xuenong

    2015-11-13

    Here we demonstrate the mechanical properties, thermal conductivity, and thermal energy storage performance of construction elements made of cement and form-stable PCM-Rubitherm® RT 28 HC (RT28)/expanded perlite (EP) composite phase change materials (PCMs). The composite PCMs were prepared by adsorbing RT28 into the pores of EP, in which the mass fraction of RT28 should be limited to be no more than 40 wt %. The adsorbed RT28 is observed to be uniformly confined into the pores of EP. The phase change temperatures of the RT28/EP composite PCMs are very close to that of the pure RT28. The apparent density and compression strength of the composite cubes increase linearly with the mass fraction of RT28. Compared with the thermal conductivity of the boards composed of cement and EP, the thermal conductivities of the composite boards containing RT28 increase by 15%-35% with the mass fraction increasing of RT28. The cubic test rooms that consist of six boards were built to evaluate the thermal energy storage performance, it is found that the maximum temperature different between the outside surface of the top board with the indoor temperature using the composite boards is 13.3 °C higher than that of the boards containing no RT28. The thermal mass increase of the built environment due to the application of composite boards can contribute to improving the indoor thermal comfort and reducing the energy consumption in the buildings.

  6. Impact of thermoelectric phenomena on phase-change memory performance metrics and scaling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jaeho; Asheghi, Mehdi; Goodson, Kenneth E

    2012-01-01

    The coupled transport of heat and electrical current, or thermoelectric phenomena, can strongly influence the temperature distribution and figures of merit for phase-change memory (PCM). This paper simulates PCM devices with careful attention to thermoelectric transport and the resulting impact on programming current during the reset operation. The electrothermal simulations consider Thomson heating within the phase-change material and Peltier heating at the electrode interface. Using representative values for the Thomson and Seebeck coefficients extracted from our past measurements of these properties, we predict a cell temperature increase of 44% and a decrease in the programming current of 16%. Scaling arguments indicate that the impact of thermoelectric phenomena becomes greater with smaller dimensions due to enhanced thermal confinement. This work estimates the scaling of this reduction in programming current as electrode contact areas are reduced down to 10 nm × 10 nm. Precise understanding of thermoelectric phenomena and their impact on device performance is a critical part of PCM design strategies. (paper)

  7. Properties of high-density matter in the electroweak symmetric phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chandra, D.; Goyal, A.

    1992-01-01

    We examine the bulk properties of matter at high densities and finite temperatures in the phase where electroweak symmetry is exact and fermions are massless, by taking the strong interactions into account perturbatively to lowest order in the quark-gluon chromodynamic coupling constant α c . We also discuss the possibility of a phase transition of strange quark matter into this high-density matter in the electroweak symmetric phase at densities likely to be present in the core of dense neutron stars or collapsing stars. Finally, we study the properties of finite-size chunks of this matter by taking surface effects into account and give an estimate of the surface tension

  8. Experimental analysis of a low cost phase change material emulsion for its use as thermal storage system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delgado, Mónica; Lázaro, Ana; Mazo, Javier; Peñalosa, Conchita; Dolado, Pablo; Zalba, Belén

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A low cost PCM emulsion has been analyzed as thermal energy storage system. • Its thermophysical and rheological properties have been determined. • The system shows advantages in terms of energy density and heat transfer rate. • The PCM emulsion system has been compared to other thermal energy storage systems. - Abstract: A 46 l commercial tank with a helical coil heat exchanger and containing a low cost phase change material emulsion has been experimentally analyzed as a thermal energy storage system in terms of volumetric energy density and heat transfer rate, for its subsequent comparison with other thermal energy storage systems. This phase change material emulsion shows a phase change temperature range between 30 and 50 °C, its solids content is about 60% with an average particle size of 1 μm. The low cost phase change material emulsion shows a thermal storage capacity by mass 50% higher than water and an increase in viscosity up to 2–5 orders of magnitude. The results have shown that the global heat transfer coefficient of the phase change material emulsion tank is around 2–6 times higher than for conventional latent systems previously analyzed in literature, although 5 times lower than if it contains water. The phase change material emulsion tank presents an energy density 34% higher than the water tank, which makes it a promising solution. Measures to improve its performance are also studied in this work.

  9. Phase-field modelling of microstructural evolution and properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Jingzhi

    As one of the most powerful techniques in computational materials science, the diffuse-interface phase-field model has been widely employed for simulating various meso-scale microstructural evolution processes. The main purpose of this thesis is to develop a quantitative phase-field model for predicting microstructures and properties in real alloy systems which can be linked to existing thermodynamic/kinetic databases and parameters obtained from experimental measurements or first-principle calculations. To achieve this goal; many factors involved in complicated real systems are investigated, many of which are often simplified or ignored in existing models, e.g. the dependence of diffusional atomic mobility and elastic constants on composition. Efficient numerical techniques must be developed to solve those partial differential equations that are involved in modelling microstructural evolutions and properties. In this thesis, different spectral methods were proposed for the time-dependent phase-field kinetic equations and diffusion equations. For solving the elastic equilibrium equation with the consideration of elastic inhomogeneity, a conjugate gradient method was utilized. The numerical approaches developed were generally found to be more accurate and efficient than conventional approach such as finite difference method. A composition-dependent Cahn-Hilliard equation was solved by using a semi-implicit Fourier-spectral method. It was shown that the morphological evolutions in bulk-diffusion-controlled coarsening and interface-diffusion-controlled developed similar patterns and scaling behaviors. For bulk-diffusion-controlled coarsening, a cubic growth law was obeyed in the scaling regime, whereas a fourth power growth law was observed for interface-diffusion-controlled coarsening. The characteristics of a microstructure under the influence of elastic energy depend on elastic properties such as elastic anisotropy, lattice mismatch, elastic inhomogeneity and

  10. Electrical properties and Raman studies of phase transitions in ferroelectric [N(CH3)4]2CoCl2Br2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben Mohamed, C.; Karoui, K.; Bulou, A.; Ben Rhaiem, A.

    2018-03-01

    The present paper accounted for the synthesis, electric properties and vibrational spectroscopy of [N(CH3)4]2CoCl2Br2. The dielectric spectra were measured in the frequency range 10-1-105 Hz and temperature interval from 223 to 393 K. The dielectical properties confirm the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition at 290 K, which is reported by Abdallah Ben Rhaiem et al. (2013). The equivalent circuit based on the Z-View-software was proposed and the conduction mechanisms were determined. The obtained results have been discussed in terms of the correlated barrier hopping model (CBH) in phase I and non-overlapping small polaron tunneling model (NSPT) in phases II and III. Raman spectra as function temperature have been used to characterize the phase transitions and their nature, which indicates a change of the some peak near the transitions phase.

  11. Study on polyethylene glycol/epoxy resin composite as a form-stable phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang Yutang; Kang Huiying; Wang Weilong; Liu Hong; Gao Xuenong

    2010-01-01

    Form-stable polyethylene glycol (PEG)/epoxy resin (EP) composite as a novel phase change material (PCM) was prepared using casting molding method. In this new material, PEG acts as the latent heat storage material and EP polymer serves as the supporting material, which provides structural strength and prevents the leakage of the melted PEG. The structure and morphology of the novel composite were observed using Fourier transformation infrared spectroscope (FTIR) and scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The thermo-mechanical property and transition behavior were characterized by polarizing optical microscope (POM), static thermo-mechanical analysis (TMA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The experimental results show that, as a result of the physical tangled function of the epoxy resin carrier to the PEG segment, the composite macroscopically presents the solid-solid phase change characteristic.

  12. Applications of graphite-enabled phase change material composites to improve thermal performance of cementitious materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Mingli; Lin, Zhibin; Wu, Lili; Wang, Jinhui; Gong, Na

    2017-11-01

    Enhancing the thermal efficiency to decrease the energy consumption of structures has been the topic of much research. In this study, a graphite-enabled microencapsulated phase change material (GE-MEPCM) was used in the production of a novel thermal energy storage engineered cementitious composite feathering high heat storage capacity and enhanced thermal conductivity. The surface morphology and particle size of the microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermal properties of MEPCM was determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In addition, thermal and mechanical properties of the cementitious mortar with different admixtures were explored and compared with those of a cementitious composite. It was shown that the latent heat of MEPCM was 162 J/g, offering much better thermal energy storage capacity to the cementitious composite. However, MEPCM was found to decrease the thermal conductivity of the composite, which can be effectively solved by adding natural graphite (NG). Moreover, the incorporation of MEPCM has a certain decrease in the compressive strength, mainly due to the weak interfaces between MEPCM and cement matrix.

  13. Phase-change drywalls in a passive-solar building

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Darkwa, K.; O' Callaghan, P.W.; Tetlow, D. [School of the Built Environment, The Applied Energy and Environmental Engineering Group, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BU (United Kingdom)

    2006-05-15

    Integration of phase-change materials (PCMs) into building fabrics is considered to be one of the potential and effective ways of minimising energy-consumption and CO{sub 2}-emissions in the building sector. In order to assess the thermal effectiveness of this concept, composite PCM drywall samples (i.e., randomly mixed and laminated PCM drywalls) have been evaluated in a model passive-solar building. For a broader assessment, the effects of three phase-change zones (narrow, intermediate and wide) of the PCM sample were considered. The results showed that the laminated PCM sample with a narrow phase-change zone was capable of increasing the minimum room temperature by about 17% more than the randomly mixed type. Even though there was some display of a non-isothermal phase-change process, the laminated system proved to be thermally more effective in terms of evolution and utilisation of latent heat. A further heat-transfer enhancement process is, however, required for the development of the laminated system. . (author)

  14. Path integrals over phase space, their definition and simple properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tarski, J.; Technische Univ. Clausthal, Clausthal-Zellerfeld

    1981-10-01

    Path integrals over phase space are defined in two ways. Some properties of these integrals are established. These properties concern the technique of integration and the quantization rule isup(-I)deltasub(q) p. (author)

  15. A reference device for evaluating the thermal behavior of installed multilayered wall containing a phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pagliolico, S.L.; Sassi, G.; Cascone, Y.; Bongiovanni, R.M.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Thermal analysis of installed wallboards embedding phase change material layer. • Simple devices and real conditions for thermal analysis toward a standardization. • Scanning calorimetric measurements as initial condition for data regression. • Bias correction of calorimetric measurements data by installation factors. • Practical approach to identify a reliable thermal curve for capacitive wallboards. - Abstract: Thermal inertia of lightweight building envelopes can be improved including phase change materials in multilayered wallboards. The thermal modeling of buildings for design purposes needs a robust description of the thermal properties of installed phase change materials. A standard method would improve the thermal characterization of commercial products. The aim of the study is to develop a simple methodology to obtain reliable thermal data for phase change materials integrated in multilayered wallboards. The methodology modifies differential scanning calorimetry measurements on phase change material by installation factors to obtain the apparent specific heat vs. temperature for the wallboard layer embedding phase change material. Simple cubic cells were realized as reference devices to simulate a confined environment. A dynamic model of heat transfer was developed to simulate the thermal behavior of devices. Installation factors were calculated by regression of the monitored temperatures inside and outside the devices operating under real environmental conditions. The apparent specific heat of phase change material, measured by differential scanning calorimetry at different rates, resulted in a spread of curves vs. temperature. Mean curves were used as initial condition for regression. The mean calculation method did not significantly affect the installed resulted curve. A unique curve of apparent specific heat vs. temperature best fit data measured over a wide range of experimental devices and conditions. Good regression

  16. Preparation and properties of poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-octadecanol copolymers based solid–solid phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Haifeng; Li Jianhua; Jin Yanmei; Yin Yiping; Zhang Xingxiang

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: ► In this paper, our objective is just focused on the preparation and characterization of such SSPCMs aiming at providing one suitable material for improving the thermal stability and preventing the liquid leakage from the matrix. Here, the SSPCMs can be fabricated by grafting to method between poly(vinyl alcohol) and octadecanol, which the grafting ratio can be controlled by adjusting the feeding components. ► The thermal properties, crystalline structure and morphology were detailed studies by WAXD, FT-IR, TGA and DSC, proving that the PVA-g-octadecanol process the better thermal storage ability and thermal stability. Compared with pure octadecanol, the heat fusion of PVA-g-octadecanol decreased due to the mobility confinement and the lower rearrangements of C18 alkyl side chains. ► This result is for the first time reported, and is a meaningful result for the investigation of the solid–solid phase change materials, and the preparation process provides one template-directed approach to obtain the high-performance materials with the better heat storage and thermal stability. - Abstract: The heat storage and phase transition behavior of a series of poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-octadecanol copolymers (PVA-g-C18OH) with apparent grafting ratios ranging from 283 to 503%, synthesized through “grafting to” method, has been investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). PVA-g-C18OH copolymers exhibit the better thermal stability against C18OH, and the thermal energy storage ability (ΔH m ) is of dependence on the apparent grafting ratios. Compared with C18OH, the lower thermal storage efficiency possible is attributed to the less CH 2 groups entered into the crystalline domains and the frustrated mobility of the grafted C18 alkyl side chains between PVA backbones. The results show that

  17. miRNA control of vegetative phase change in trees.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jia-Wei Wang

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available After germination, plants enter juvenile vegetative phase and then transition to an adult vegetative phase before producing reproductive structures. The character and timing of the juvenile-to-adult transition vary widely between species. In annual plants, this transition occurs soon after germination and usually involves relatively minor morphological changes, whereas in trees and other perennial woody plants it occurs after months or years and can involve major changes in shoot architecture. Whether this transition is controlled by the same mechanism in annual and perennial plants is unknown. In the annual forb Arabidopsis thaliana and in maize (Zea mays, vegetative phase change is controlled by the sequential activity of microRNAs miR156 and miR172. miR156 is highly abundant in seedlings and decreases during the juvenile-to-adult transition, while miR172 has an opposite expression pattern. We observed similar changes in the expression of these genes in woody species with highly differentiated, well-characterized juvenile and adult phases (Acacia confusa, Acacia colei, Eucalyptus globulus, Hedera helix, Quercus acutissima, as well as in the tree Populus x canadensis, where vegetative phase change is marked by relatively minor changes in leaf morphology and internode length. Overexpression of miR156 in transgenic P. x canadensis reduced the expression of miR156-targeted SPL genes and miR172, and it drastically prolonged the juvenile phase. Our results indicate that miR156 is an evolutionarily conserved regulator of vegetative phase change in both annual herbaceous plants and perennial trees.

  18. Phase modification and dielectric properties of a cullet-paper ash-kaolin clay-based ceramic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samah, K. A.; Sahar, M. R.; Yusop, M.; Omar, M. F.

    2018-03-01

    Novel ceramics from waste material made of ( x) paper ash-(80 - x) cullet-20 kaolin clay (10wt% ≤ x ≤ 30wt%) were successfully synthesized using a conventional solid-state reaction technique. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of Si, Ca, Al, and Fe in the waste material for preparing these ceramics. The influence of the cullet content on the phase structures and the dielectric properties of these ceramics were systematically investigated. The impedance spectra were verified in the range from 1 Hz to 10 MHz at room temperature. The phase of the ceramics was found to primarily consist of wollastonite (CaSiO3), along with minor phases of γ-dicalcium silicate (Ca2SiO4) and quartz (SiO2). The sample with a cullet content of 55wt% possessed the optimum wollastonite structure and exhibited good dielectric properties. An increase of the cullet content beyond 55wt% resulted in a structural change from wollastonite to dicalcium silicate, a decrease in dielectric constant, and an increase in dielectric loss. All experimental results suggested that these novel ceramics from waste are applicable for electronic devices.

  19. Study of the low pressure (Black Phase) SmS properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bordier, G.

    1987-03-01

    SmS has been studied for its transition from the low pressure black phase to the high pressure intermediate valence phase; but the black phase properties seem to be very rich. The variations which pressure of the low-temperature electronic transport properties show the existence of a semi-metallic phase within the black phase domain in a pressure-temperature diagram, for a pressure above 4 kbar, which corresponds to the so-called B'phase. We study the insulating low pressure phase with a model involving acceptor like states. Using electronic paramagnetic resonance experiments we observe a square symmetry trivalent samarium ion neighbour of a sulfure defect, and magnetically coupled with the lattice. This defect exists in two nearly symmetric configurations and the resonance line broadens with temperature in an actived way. It gives rise to metastable effects yielding conductivity relaxations, analysed with stretched exponential laws, because the defect traps magnetically conduction electrons forming a bound magnetic polaron. The relaxation time at zero field is temperature actived. We develop a phenomenological model that gives the good orders of magnitude for the trapping barrier and for the critical field corresponding to the maximum of the low temperature magnetoresistance [fr

  20. Phase-change radiative thermal diode

    OpenAIRE

    Ben-Abdallah, Philippe; Biehs, Svend-Age

    2013-01-01

    A thermal diode transports heat mainly in one preferential direction rather than in the opposite direction. This behavior is generally due to the non-linear dependence of certain physical properties with respect to the temperature. Here we introduce a radiative thermal diode which rectifies heat transport thanks to the phase transitions of materials. Rectification coefficients greater than 70% and up to 90% are shown, even for small temperature differences. This result could have important ap...

  1. Fabrication and properties of poly(polyethylene glycol n-alkyl ether vinyl ether)s as polymeric phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pei, Dong-fang; Chen, Sai; Li, Shu-qin; Shi, Hai-feng; Li, Wei; Li, Xuan; Zhang, Xing-xiang

    2016-01-01

    A series of poly(polyethylene glycol n-alkyl ether vinyl ether)s (PC m E n VEs) with various lengths of alkyl chains and polyethylene glycol spacers as side chain (m = 16,18; n = 1,2) were synthesized via two steps. First, monomers-ethylene glycol hexadecyl ether vinyl ether (C 16 E 1 VE), ethylene glycol octadecyl ether vinyl ether (C 18 E 1 VE), diethylene glycol hexadecyl ether vinyl ether (C 16 E 2 VE) and diethylene glycol octadecyl ether vinyl ether (C 18 E 2 VE) were synthesized by a modified Williamson etherification. Then, four new types of phase change materials were successfully fabricated by a living cationic polymerization. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) were employed to characterize their composition, thermal properties and crystallization behavior. The results show that, the side chains of PC 16 E 1 VE, PC 18 E 1 VE, PC 16 E 2 VE and PC 18 E 2 VE are in a hexagonal lattice, and the onset temperatures for melting of PC 16 E 1 VE, PC 18 E 1 VE, PC 16 E 2 VE and PC 18 E 2 VE are 39.8 °C, 37.4 °C, 51.0 °C and 48.9 °C, the onset temperatures for crystallization are 36.7 °C, 35.2 °C, 47.4 °C and 46.3 °C, respectively. The enthalpy changes of PC 18 E 1 VE, PC 16 E 2 VE and PC 18 E 2 VE are higher than 100 J/g; on the contrary, it is 96 J/g for PC 16 E 1 VE. The enthalpy decrease is no more than 11% after 10 heating and cooling cycles. The 5 wt% mass loss temperatures of PC 18 E 1 VE, PC 16 E 2 VE and PC 18 E 2 VE are higher than 300 °C; on the contrary, it’s 283 °C for PC 16 E 1 VE. Using a weak polarity, flexible alkyl ether chain (-OCH 2 CH 2 O-) as a spacer to link the main chain and side chain is conducive to the crystallization of the alkyl side chain. These new phase change materials can be applied in heat storage, energy conservation, and environmental protection.

  2. Mechanical properties and deformation behavior of Al/Al7075, two-phase material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sherafat, Z.; Paydar, M.H.; Ebrahimi, R.; Sohrabi, S.

    2010-01-01

    In the present study, mechanical properties and deformation behavior of Al/Al7075, two-phase material were investigated. The two-phase materials were fabricated by mixing commercially pure Al powder with Al7075 chips and consolidating the mixture through hot extrusion process at 500 o C. Mechanical properties and deformation behavior of the fabricated samples were evaluated using tensile and compression tests. A scanning electron microscope was used to study the fracture surface of the samples including different amount of Al powder, after they were fractured in tensile test. The results of the tensile and compression tests showed that with decreasing the amount of Al powder, the strength increases and ductility decreases. Calculation of work hardening exponent (n) indicated that deformation behavior does not follow a regular trend. In a way that the n value was approved to be variable and a strong function of strain and Al powder wt% of the sample. The results of the fractography studies indicate that the type of fracture happened changes from completely ductile to nearly brittle by decreasing the wt% of Al powder from 90% to 40%.

  3. Experimental study of the thermal characteristics of phase change slurries for active cooling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, W.; Tassou, S.A.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Tween 60 and hexadecanol can be employed to produce paraffin-in-water emulsions. ► Paraffin with longer carbon chain than the paraffin in the emulsion can act as nucleate agent to reduce supercooling. ► Increasing the quantity of paraffin increases the viscosity of the emulsion. ► Antifreeze and traces of thickener can cause a significant increase to the viscosity of the emulsion. ► Well prepared emulsions are stable with storage and thermal cycles. -- Abstract: Phase change materials (PCMs) are increasingly being used for thermal energy storage in buildings and industry to produce energy savings and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. PCM slurries are also being investigated for active thermal energy storage or as alternatives to conventional single phase fluids because they are pumpable and have advanced heat transport performance with phase change. The present study investigates several types of phase change materials for the preparation of PCM slurries which have potential for cooling applications. The thermophysical properties of paraffin in water emulsions, such as latent heat of fusion, melting and freezing temperature ranges, viscosity and the effect of surfactants, have been tested using appropriate experimental techniques. It has been identified that the use of small quantities of higher melting temperature paraffin and surfactants in the emulsion can reduce the effect of supercooling and increase the useful heat of fusion. However there are negative impacts on viscosity which should be considered in heat transport applications.

  4. Secondary phases formed during nuclear waste glass-water interactions: Thermodynamic and derived properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKenzie, W.F.

    1992-08-01

    The thermodynamic properties of secondary phases observed to form during nuclear waste glass-water interactions are of particular interest as it is with the application of these properties together with the thermodynamic properties of other solid phases, fluid phases, and aqueous species that one may predict the environmental consequences of introducing radionuclides contained in the glass into groundwater at a high-level nuclear waste repository. The validation of these predicted consequences can be obtained from laboratory experiments and field observations at natural analogue sites. The purpose of this report is to update and expand the previous compilation (McKenzie, 1991) of thermodynamic data retrieved from the literature and/or estimated for secondary phases observed to form (and candidate phases from observed chemical compositions) during nuclear waste glass-water interactions. In addition, this report includes provisionally recommended thermodynamic data of secondary phases

  5. Phase change memory

    CERN Document Server

    Qureshi, Moinuddin K

    2011-01-01

    As conventional memory technologies such as DRAM and Flash run into scaling challenges, architects and system designers are forced to look at alternative technologies for building future computer systems. This synthesis lecture begins by listing the requirements for a next generation memory technology and briefly surveys the landscape of novel non-volatile memories. Among these, Phase Change Memory (PCM) is emerging as a leading contender, and the authors discuss the material, device, and circuit advances underlying this exciting technology. The lecture then describes architectural solutions t

  6. Determination of enthalpy–temperature–composition relations in incongruent-melting phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Desgrosseilliers, Louis; Allred, Paul; Groulx, Dominic; White, Mary Anne

    2013-01-01

    This paper demonstrates that liquidus line (T-x) data can be obtained from calorimetric determinations of phase transition enthalpy profiles (H-T) for incongruent-melting phase change materials (PCMs) more efficiently than using traditional cooling curves. An accurate and reliable equilibrium mixture enthalpy model bridges the H-T and T-x gap to provide a full suite of high density H-T-x data to assist latent heat energy storage researchers to evaluate composition-dependent two-phase equilibrium processes. The proposed method is validated for T-history method H-T determinations of 1:1 diluted sodium acetate trihydrate in water, and can also be used with other laboratory calorimetric techniques used to determine the phase transition enthalpy profiles of incongruent-melting compounds. -- Highlights: • H-T data can also be used to obtain valuable liquidus region T-x data. • Applies to all incongruent-melting compounds with known thermodynamic properties. • Reduces the effort and cost of assessing full suite H-T-x data for PCMs. • Uses existing T-x or H-T data of incongruent-melting PCMs to determine the other

  7. Lightweight Phase-Change Material For Solar Power

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stark, Philip

    1993-01-01

    Lightweight panels containing phase-change materials developed for use as heat-storage elements of compact, lightweight, advanced solar dynamic power system. During high insolation, heat stored in panels via latent heat of fusion of phase-change material; during low insolation, heat withdrawn from panels. Storage elements consist mainly of porous carbon-fiber structures imbued with germanium. Developed for use aboard space station in orbit around Earth, also adapted to lightweight, compact, portable solar-power systems for use on Earth.

  8. Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage

    OpenAIRE

    Stiebra, L; Cabulis, U; Knite, M

    2014-01-01

    Phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage (TES) have become an important subject of research in recent years. Using PCMs for thermal energy storage provides a solution to increase the efficiency of the storage and use of energy in many domestic and industrial sectors. Phase change TES systems offer a number of advantages over other systems (e.g. chemical storage systems): particularly small temperature distance between the storage and retrieval cycles, small unit sizes and lo...

  9. Phase Change Energy Storage Material Suitable for Solar Heating System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiaohui; Li, Haihua; Zhang, Lihui; Liu, Zhenfa

    2018-01-01

    Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to investigate the thermal properties of palmitic acid, myristic acid, laurel acid and the binary composite of palmitic/laurel acid and palmitic/myristic acid. The results showed that the phase transition temperatures of the three monomers were between 46.9-65.9°C, and the latent heats were above 190 J/g, which could be used as solar energy storage material. When the mass ratio of Palmitic acid and myristic was 1:1, the eutectic mixture could be formed. The latent heat of the eutectic mixture was 186.6 J/g, the melting temperature and the solidification temperature was 50.6°C and 43.8°C respectively. The latent heat of phase change and the melting temperature had not obvious variations after 400 thermal cycles, which proved that the binary composite had good thermal stability and was suitable for solar floor radiant heating system.

  10. Ti-Sb-Te alloy: a candidate for fast and long-life phase-change memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Mengjiao; Zhu, Min; Wang, Yuchan; Song, Zhitang; Rao, Feng; Wu, Liangcai; Cheng, Yan; Song, Sannian

    2015-04-15

    Phase-change memory (PCM) has great potential for numerous attractive applications on the premise of its high-device performances, which still need to be improved by employing a material with good overall phase-change properties. In respect to fast speed and high endurance, the Ti-Sb-Te alloy seems to be a promising candidate. Here, Ti-doped Sb2Te3 (TST) materials with different Ti concentrations have been systematically studied with the goal of finding the most suitable composition for PCM applications. The thermal stability of TST is improved dramatically with increasing Ti content. The small density change of T0.32Sb2Te3 (2.24%), further reduced to 1.37% for T0.56Sb2Te3, would greatly avoid the voids generated at phase-change layer/electrode interface in a PCM device. Meanwhile, the exponentially diminished grain size (from ∼200 nm to ∼12 nm), resulting from doping more and more Ti, enhances the adhesion between phase-change film and substrate. Tests of TST-based PCM cells have demonstrated a fast switching rate of ∼10 ns. Furthermore, because of the lower thermal conductivities of TST materials, compared with Sb2Te3-based PCM cells, T0.32Sb2Te3-based ones exhibit lower required pulse voltages for Reset operation, which largely decreases by ∼50% for T0.43Sb2Te3-based ones. Nevertheless, the operation voltages for T0.56Sb2Te3-based cells dramatically increase, which may be due to the phase separation after doping excessive Ti. Finally, considering the decreased resistance ratio, TixSb2Te3 alloy with x around 0.43 is proved to be a highly promising candidate for fast and long-life PCM applications.

  11. Structural and electronic properties of high pressure phases of lead chalcogenides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petersen, John; Scolfaro, Luisa; Myers, Thomas

    2012-10-01

    Lead chalcogenides, most notably PbTe and PbSe, have become an active area of research due to their thermoelectric properties. The high figure of merit (ZT) of these materials has brought much attention to them, due to their ability to convert waste heat into electricity. Variation in synthesis conditions gives rise to a need for analysis of structural and thermoelectric properties of these materials at different pressures. In addition to the NaCl structure at ambient conditions, lead chalcogenides have a dynamic orthorhombic (Pnma) intermediate phase and a higher pressure yet stable CsCl phase. By altering the lattice constant, we simulate the application of external pressure; this has notable effects on ground state total energy, band gap, and structural phase. Using the General Gradient Approximation (GGA) in Density Functional Theory (DFT), we calculate the phase transition pressures by finding the differences in enthalpy from total energy calculations. For each phase, elastic constants, bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus, and hardness are calculated, using two different approaches. In addition to structural properties, we analyze the band structure and density of states at varying pressures, paying special note to thermoelectric implications.

  12. Phase relations, crystal structures and physical properties of nuclear fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tagawa, Hiroaki; Fujino, Takeo; Tateno, Jun

    1975-07-01

    Phase relations, crystal structures and physical properties of the compounds for nuclear fuels are presented, including melting point, thermal expansion, diffusion and magnetic and electric properties. Emphasis is on oxides, carbides and nitrides of thorium, uranium and plutonium. (auth.)

  13. Characterizations and thermal stability improvement of phase-change memory device containing Ce-doped GeSbTe films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Yu-Jen; Tsai, Min-Chuan; Wang, Chiung-Hsin; Hsieh, Tsung-Eong, E-mail: tehsieh@mail.nctu.edu.tw

    2012-02-29

    Phase-transition temperature of GeSbTe (GST) chalcogenide film was drastically increased from 159 to 236 Degree-Sign C by cerium (Ce) doping (up to 8.6 at.%) without altering the resistivity property of GST. Grain refinement via the solid-solution mechanism and the amplification of p-type semiconducting behavior in Ce-doped GST were observed. They were correlated with the enhancement of thermal stability and data retention property of GST as revealed by exothermal and isothermal analyses. Phase-change memory (PCM) device characterized at various temperatures revealed an effective thermal stability improvement on the threshold voltage of PCM device by Ce doping. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ce doping increased phase-change temperature of GST from 159 to 236 Degree-Sign C. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer No suppression of resistivity level in amorphous Ce-doped GST. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Resistance ratio of amorphous and crystalline Ce-doped GST was preserved at 10{sup 5}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer p-type semiconducting behavior of GST was enhanced by Ce-doping. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ce-doping improved the thermal stability of threshold voltage of GST PCM device.

  14. Phase space properties of charged fields in theories of local observables

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buchholz, D.; D'Antoni, C.

    1994-10-01

    Within the setting of algebraic quantum field theory a relation between phase-space properties of observables and charged fields is established. These properties are expressed in terms of compactness and nuclarity conditions which are the basis for the characterization of theories with physically reasonable causal and thermal features. Relevant concepts and results of phase space analysis in algebraic qunatum field theory are reviewed and the underlying ideas are outlined. (orig.)

  15. Calculation of Heat Exchange and Changing Phase Ratio in Extended Flowing Heat Accumulators on Phase Transitions with Rectangular Inserts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. G. Zorina

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available To use the renewable power sources such as solar, wind, biogas, and others is complicated because of their sporadic supply. Thus and so, energy accumulation makes the user independent on the operating mode of the power source.Some of the heat accumulation methods can be realized with accumulators using phase transitions and based on the heat storage materials that change their state of aggregation during storage and rejection of thermal energy. In comparison with the gravel or liquid heat accumulators these devices are compact and provide high density of stored energy. To intensify heat exchange in such devices, are used highly heat-conductive metallic inсlusions of different shape, capsular laying or heat storage materials placed in the form of inserts, extended heat exchange surfaces, etc.Heat transfer of accumulator using phase transitions is calculated through solving a nonlinear Stefan problem. For calculation, are, usually, used various sufficiently time-consuming methods.The paper presents a heat transfer calculation when changing the aggregation state of substance. Its recommendation is to use the analytical dependences that allow calculation of heat exchange characteristics with charging phase transition accumulators of a capsular type in which a heat storage material is in cross-inserts.It is assumed that heat transfer in the coolant flow is one-dimensional, thermal and physical properties of heat storage material and coolant are constant, and heat transfer in the accumulator using phase transitions is quasi-stationary.

  16. Origin of the reverse optical-contrast change of Ga-Sb phase-change materials—An ab initio molecular-dynamics study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dixon, J. A.; Elliott, S. R., E-mail: sre1@cam.ac.uk [Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW (United Kingdom)

    2014-04-07

    A large number of phase-change materials (PCMs) have been developed experimentally; however, only Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5}-based PCMs have been significantly explored using ab initio molecular-dynamics (AIMD) simulations. We present an AIMD study of the full melt/quench/anneal PC cycle for Ga-Sb materials, namely, the stoichiometric composition, GaSb, and the near-eutectic alloy, Ga{sub 16}Sb{sub 84}. The calculated electronic densities of states and optical reflectivities are compared between the amorphous and crystalline phases for both compositions, and it is shown that the contrasting opto-electronic properties of each crystalline material can be attributed to different structural transformations of Ga and Sb on crystallization from the amorphous state.

  17. Thermodynamic properties of cesium in the gaseous phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vargaftik, N.B.; Voljak, L.D.; Stepanov, V.G.

    1985-01-01

    Tables of the thermodynamic properties of caesium in the gaseous phase are presented for a wide range of temperature and pressure. The thermodynamic properties include: enthalpy, entropy, specific heat, specific volume, sound velocity and compressibility factor. The values have been calculated from pressure-volume-temperature measurements by various authors. Experimental apparatus to determine these measurements is described, together with an outline of the method employed to process the results, and the error estimates. (U.K.)

  18. Investigation of environmental friendly Te-free SiSb material for applications of phase-change memory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Ting; Song Zhitang; Liu Bo; Feng Songlin

    2008-01-01

    Te-free environmental friendly Si x Sb 100−x phase-change materials are investigated. The binary material, which is compatible with the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor manufacturing process, is outstanding in various properties. Si x Sb 100−x shows a much better data retention as compared with Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 . The density change for Si 10 Sb 90 and Si 16 Sb 84 is only about 3% and 3.8%, respectively. The failure times for Si 10 Sb 90 and Si 16 Sb 84 are about 10 3 and 10 6 times longer than that of Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 at 110 °C. The crystallization temperature of Si x Sb 100−x increases with silicon content within the material. Si x Sb 100−x materials are good candidates for the phase-change memory applications

  19. Thermodynamic and transport properties of uranium dioxide and related phases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1965-01-01

    The high melting point of uranium dioxide and its stability under irradiation have led to its use as a fuel in a variety of types of nuclear reactors. A wide range of chemical and physical studies has been stimulated by this circumstances and by the complex nature of the uranium dioxide phase itself. The boundaries of this phase widen as the temperature is increased; at 2000 deg. K a single, homogeneous phase exists from U 2.27 to a hypostoichiometric (UO 2-x ) composition, depending on the oxygen potential of the surroundings. Since there is often an incentive to operate a reactor at the maximum practicable heat rating and, therefore, maximum thermal gradient in the fuel, the determination of the physical properties of the UO 2-x phase becomes a matter of great technological importance. In addition a complex sequence of U-O phases may be formed during the preparation of powder feed material or during the sintering process; these affect the microstructure and properties of the final product and have also received much attention. 184 refs, 33 figs, 15 tabs

  20. In silico optimization of phase-change materials for digital memories: a survey of first-row transition-metal dopants for Ge₂Sb₂Te₅.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skelton, J M; Elliott, S R

    2013-05-22

    Phase-change materials are the alloys at the heart of an emerging class of next-generation, non-volatile digital memory technologies. However, the widely studied Ge-Sb-Te system possesses several undesirable properties, and enhancing its properties, e.g. by doping, is an area of active research. Various first-row transition-metal dopants have been shown to impart useful property enhancements, but a systematic study of the entire period has yet to be undertaken, and little has been done to investigate their interaction with the host material at the atomic level. We have carried out first-principles computer simulations of the complete phase-change cycle in Ge2Sb2Te5 doped with each of the ten first-row transition metals. In this article, we present a comprehensive survey of the electronic, magnetic and optical properties of these doped materials. We discuss in detail their atomic-level structure, and relate the microscopic behaviours of the dopant atoms to their influence on the Ge2Sb2Te5 host. By considering an entire family of similar materials, we identify trends and patterns which might be used to predict suitable dopants for optimizing materials for specific phase-change applications. The computational method employed here is general, and this materials-discovery approach could be applied in the future to study other families of potential dopants for such materials.

  1. Magnetic ordering induced giant optical property change in tetragonal BiFeO3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Wen-Yi; Ding, Hang-Chen; Gong, Shi Jing; Wan, Xiangang; Duan, Chun-Gang

    2015-12-01

    Magnetic ordering could have significant influence on band structures, spin-dependent transport, and other important properties of materials. Its measurement, especially for the case of antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering, however, is generally difficult to be achieved. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of magnetic ordering detection using a noncontact and nondestructive optical method. Taking the tetragonal BiFeO3 (BFO) as an example and combining density functional theory calculations with tight-binding models, we find that when BFO changes from C1-type to G-type AFM phase, the top of valance band shifts from the Z point to Γ point, which makes the original direct band gap become indirect. This can be explained by Slater-Koster parameters using the Harrison approach. The impact of magnetic ordering on band dispersion dramatically changes the optical properties. For the linear ones, the energy shift of the optical band gap could be as large as 0.4 eV. As for the nonlinear ones, the change is even larger. The second-harmonic generation coefficient d33 of G-AFM becomes more than 13 times smaller than that of C1-AFM case. Finally, we propose a practical way to distinguish the two AFM phases of BFO using the optical method, which is of great importance in next-generation information storage technologies.

  2. Geotechnical properties of municipal solid waste at different phases of biodegradation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reddy, Krishna R.; Hettiarachchi, Hiroshan; Gangathulasi, Janardhanan; Bogner, Jean E.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Degraded synthetic municipal solid waste (MSW) anaerobically in controlled bench-scale reactors. → Performed laboratory tests to determine geotechnical properties of MSW at different phases of degradation. → Hydraulic conductivity decreased by two orders of magnitude due to degradation. → Compression ratio reduced from 0.34 for initial fresh waste to 0.15 for the mostly degraded waste. → Friction angle reduced, but cohesion increased with degradation. - Abstract: This paper presents the results of laboratory investigation conducted to determine the variation of geotechnical properties of synthetic municipal solid waste (MSW) at different phases of degradation. Synthetic MSW samples were prepared based on the composition of MSW generated in the United States and were degraded in bioreactors with leachate recirculation. Degradation of the synthetic MSW was quantified based on the gas composition and organic content, and the samples exhumed from the bioreactor cells at different phases of degradation were tested for the geotechnical properties. Hydraulic conductivity, compressibility and shear strength of initial and degraded synthetic MSW were all determined at constant initial moisture content of 50% on wet weight basis. Hydraulic conductivity of synthetic MSW was reduced by two orders of magnitude due to degradation. Compression ratio was reduced from 0.34 for initial fresh waste to 0.15 for the mostly degraded waste. Direct shear tests showed that the fresh and degraded synthetic MSW exhibited continuous strength gain with increase in horizontal deformation, with the cohesion increased from 1 kPa for fresh MSW to 16-40 kPa for degraded MSW and the friction angle decreased from 35 o for fresh MSW to 28 o for degraded MSW. During the triaxial tests under CU condition, the total strength parameters, cohesion and friction angle, were found to vary from 21 to 57 kPa and 1 o to 9 o , respectively, while the effective strength parameters, cohesion

  3. Phase transition and hydrogen storage properties of Mg–Ga alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Daifeng; Ouyang, Liuzhang; Wu, Cong; Wang, Hui; Liu, Jiangwen; Sun, Lixian; Zhu, Min

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A fully reversible transformation in Mg–Ga–H system with reduced dehydrogenation enthalpy is realized. • The mechanism of phase transformation in the de/hydrogenation of Mg–Ga alloy is revealed. • The de/hydrogenation process of Mg 5 Ga 2 compound is expressed as: Mg 5 Ga 2 + H 2 ↔ 2Mg 2 Ga + MgH 2 . - Abstract: Mg-based alloys are viewed as one of the most promising candidates for hydrogen storage; however, high desorption temperature and the sluggish kinetics of MgH 2 hinder their practical application. Alloying and changing the reaction pathway are effective methods to solve these issues. As the solid solubility of Ga in Mg is 5 wt% at 573 K, the preparation of a Mg(Ga) solid solution at relatively high temperatures was designed in this paper. The phase transition and hydrogen storage properties of the MgH 2 and Mg 5 Ga 2 composite (hereafter referred to as Mg–Ga alloy) were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), pressure–composition-isotherm (PCI) measurements, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The reversible hydrogen storage capacity of Mg–Ga alloy is 5.7 wt% H 2 . During the dehydrogenation process of Mg–Ga alloy, Mg 2 Ga reacts with MgH 2 , initially releasing H 2 and forming Mg 5 Ga 2 ; subsequently, MgH 2 decomposes into Mg with further release of H 2 . The phase transition mechanism of the Mg 5 Ga 2 compound during the dehydrogenation process was also investigated by using in situ XRD analysis. In addition, the dehydrogenation enthalpy and entropy changes, and the apparent activation energy were also calculated

  4. PEG 400-Based Phase Change Materials Nano-Enhanced with Functionalized Graphene Nanoplatelets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marco A. Marcos

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This study presents new Nano-enhanced Phase Change Materials, NePCMs, formulated as dispersions of functionalized graphene nanoplatelets in a poly(ethylene glycol with a mass-average molecular mass of 400 g·mol−1 for possible use in Thermal Energy Storage. Morphology, functionalization, purity, molecular mass and thermal stability of the graphene nanomaterial and/or the poly(ethylene glycol were characterized. Design parameters of NePCMs were defined on the basis of a temporal stability study of nanoplatelet dispersions using dynamic light scattering. Influence of graphene loading on solid-liquid phase change transition temperature, latent heat of fusion, isobaric heat capacity, thermal conductivity, density, isobaric thermal expansivity, thermal diffusivity and dynamic viscosity were also investigated for designed dispersions. Graphene nanoplatelet loading leads to thermal conductivity enhancements up to 23% while the crystallization temperature reduces up to in 4 K. Finally, the heat storage capacities of base fluid and new designed NePCMs were examined by means of the thermophysical properties through Stefan and Rayleigh numbers. Functionalized graphene nanoplatelets leads to a slight increase in the Stefan number.

  5. PEG 400-Based Phase Change Materials Nano-Enhanced with Functionalized Graphene Nanoplatelets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcos, Marco A; Cabaleiro, David; Guimarey, María J G; Comuñas, María J P; Fedele, Laura; Fernández, Josefa; Lugo, Luis

    2017-12-29

    This study presents new Nano-enhanced Phase Change Materials, NePCMs, formulated as dispersions of functionalized graphene nanoplatelets in a poly(ethylene glycol) with a mass-average molecular mass of 400 g·mol -1 for possible use in Thermal Energy Storage. Morphology, functionalization, purity, molecular mass and thermal stability of the graphene nanomaterial and/or the poly(ethylene glycol) were characterized. Design parameters of NePCMs were defined on the basis of a temporal stability study of nanoplatelet dispersions using dynamic light scattering. Influence of graphene loading on solid-liquid phase change transition temperature, latent heat of fusion, isobaric heat capacity, thermal conductivity, density, isobaric thermal expansivity, thermal diffusivity and dynamic viscosity were also investigated for designed dispersions. Graphene nanoplatelet loading leads to thermal conductivity enhancements up to 23% while the crystallization temperature reduces up to in 4 K. Finally, the heat storage capacities of base fluid and new designed NePCMs were examined by means of the thermophysical properties through Stefan and Rayleigh numbers. Functionalized graphene nanoplatelets leads to a slight increase in the Stefan number.

  6. Microencapsulated phase change materials for enhancing the thermal performance of Portland cement concrete and geopolymer concrete for passive building applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, Vinh Duy; Pilehvar, Shima; Salas-Bringas, Carlos; Szczotok, Anna M.; Rodriguez, Juan F.; Carmona, Manuel; Al-Manasir, Nodar; Kjøniksen, Anna-Lena

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Microencapsulated phase change materials give high energy storage capacity concrete. • Microcapsule addition increases the porosity of concrete. • Thermal and mechanical properties are linked to the enhanced concrete porosity. • Agglomerated microcapsules have strong impact on the concrete properties. • Microcapsules caused geopolymer to become more energy efficient than Portland cement. - Abstract: Concretes with a high thermal energy storage capacity were fabricated by mixing microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCM) into Portland cement concrete (PCC) and geopolymer concrete (GPC). The effect of MPCM on thermal performance and compressive strength of PCC and GPC were investigated. It was found that the replacement of sand by MPCM resulted in lower thermal conductivity and higher thermal energy storage, while the specific heat capacity of concrete remained practically stable when the phase change material (PCM) was in the liquid or solid phase. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of GPC as function of MPCM concentration was reduced at a higher rate than that of PCC. The power consumption needed to stabilize a simulated indoor temperature of 23 °C was reduced after the addition of MPCM. GPC exhibited better energy saving properties than PCC at the same conditions. A significant loss in compressive strength was observed due to the addition of MPCM to concrete. However, the compressive strength still satisfies the mechanical European regulation (EN 206-1, compressive strength class C20/25) for concrete applications. Finally, MPCM-concrete provided a good thermal stability after subjecting the samples to 100 thermal cycles at high heating/cooling rates.

  7. Experimental study on heat storage system using phase-change material in a diesel engine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Sangki; Woo, Seungchul; Shon, Jungwook; Lee, Kihyung

    2017-01-01

    Engines usually use only about 25% of the total fuel energy for power, and the rest is discarded to the cooling water and exhaust gas. Therefore, a technique for utilizing external waste heat is required to improve fuel efficiency in terms of total energy consumption. In this study, a heat storage system was built using a phase-change material in order to recover about 30% of the thermal energy wasted through engine cooling. The components of the heat storage system were divided into phase-change material, a heat exchanger, and a heat-insulating container. For each component, a phase-change material that is suitable for use in vehicles was selected based on the safety, thermal properties, and durability. As a result, a stearic acid of a fatty acid series with natural extracts was determined to be appropriate. In order to measure the reduction in engine fuel consumption, a thermal storage system designed for the actual engine was applied to realize a quick warm-up by releasing stored heat energy directly on the coolant during a cold start. This technique added about 95 calories of heat storage device warm-up time compared to the non-added state, which was reduced by about 18.1% to about 27.1%. - Highlights: • The diesel engine used phase-change material with heat storage system. • The thermal storage system designed for the actual engine. • A stearic acid of a fatty acid series was determined to be appropriate. • Applied heat storage system was reduced by about 18.1%–27.1%.

  8. Separating the effects of repulsive and attractive forces on the phase diagram, interfacial, and critical properties of simple fluids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuentes-Herrera, M; Moreno-Razo, J A; Guzmán, O; López-Lemus, J; Ibarra-Tandi, B

    2016-06-07

    Molecular simulations in the canonical and isothermal-isobaric ensembles were performed to study the effect of varying the shape of the intermolecular potential on the phase diagram, critical, and interfacial properties of model fluids. The molecular interactions were modeled by the Approximate Non-Conformal (ANC) theory potentials. Unlike the Lennard-Jones or Morse potentials, the ANC interactions incorporate parameters (called softnesses) that modulate the steepness of the potential in their repulsive and attractive parts independently. This feature allowed us to separate unambiguously the role of each region of the potential on setting the thermophysical properties. In particular, we found positive linear correlation between all critical coordinates and the attractive and repulsive softness, except for the critical density and the attractive softness which are negatively correlated. Moreover, we found that the physical properties related to phase coexistence (such as span of the liquid phase between the critical and triple points, variations in the P-T vaporization curve, interface width, and surface tension) are more sensitive to changes in the attractive softness than to the repulsive one. Understanding the different roles of attractive and repulsive forces on phase coexistence may contribute to developing more accurate models of liquids and their mixtures.

  9. Exergy analysis of the solar still integrated nano composite phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Methre, V.K.; Eswaramoorthy, M.

    2015-01-01

    This paper communicates the exergy analysis of solar still integrated with nano composite phase change materials for design and operating parameters. Al_2O_3 nano materials (50 nm) is dispersed by weight ratio in paraffin wax at melting state and its thermophysical properties are evaluated using developed correlation. Exergy balance equation for basin liner, thermal energy storage, glass cover and saline water is developed and exergy efficiency is analysed. It is found that exergy efficiency is improved by higher weight ratio of Al_2O_3 nano materials with paraffin wax alone. (author)

  10. Finite element modeling for integrated solid-solid PCM-building material with varying phase change temperatures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, D.; Fung, A.S.; Siddiqui, O. [Ryerson Polytechnic Univ., Toronto, ON (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

    2008-08-15

    Solid-solid phase change materials (SSPCMs) are used to enhance thermal storage performance and reduce indoor temperature fluctuations in buildings. In this study, a finite element model (FEM) was used to investigate the thermal properties of different types of SSPCMs. An effective heat capacity method was used to develop the model. An integrated PCM-building material was analyzed in relation to temperature and heat flux profiles. Governing equations for the heat transfer process were composed of Navier-Stokes momentum equations; a mass conservation equation; and an energy conservation equation. Effective heat capacity was described as a linear function of the latent heat of fusion on both the heating and cooling processes. Data from the simulation were then compared with an experiment suing drywall, concrete and gypcrete samples. Heat flux across the surfaces and temperatures on the surfaces of the materials were measured. Data were used to validate the finite element model (FEM). Results of the study suggested that heat flux profiles are an effective means of understanding phase change processes. It was concluded that PCMs with lower phase change temperatures lengthened energy releases and improved thermal comfort in the building. 12 refs., 2 tabs., 14 figs.

  11. Encapsulation of phase change materials using rice-husk-char

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gondora, Wayne; Doudin, Khalid; Nowakowski, Daniel J.; Xiao, Bo; Ding, Yulong; Bridgwater, Tony; Yuan, Qingchun

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Rice-husk-char particles are successfully used in the encapsulation of phase change materials. • Carbon-based phase change microcapsules aim at using the high thermal conductivity of carbon materials. • Carbon from biomass can be used in low and intermediate heat harvest and storage. • Carbon in biomass is captured and to be used in improving energy efficiency. - Abstract: This paper explored a new approach to prepare phase change microcapsules using carbon-based particles via Pickering emulsions for energy storage applications. Rice-husk-char, a by-product in biofuel production, containing 53.58 wt% of carbon was used as a model carbon-based material to encapsulate hexadecane. As a model phase change material, hexadecane was emulsified in aqueous suspensions of rice-husk-char nanoparticles. Water soluble polymers poly(diallyldimethyl-ammonium chloride) and poly(sodium styrene sulfonate) were used to fix the rice-husk-char nanoparticles on the emulsion droplets through layer-by-layer assembly to enhance the structural stability of the microcapsules. The microcapsules formed are composed of a thin shell encompassing a large core consisting of hexadecane. Thermal gravimetrical and differential scanning calorimeter analyses showed the phase change enthalpy of 80.9 kJ kg"−"1 or 120.0 MJ m"−"3. Design criteria of phase change microcapsules and preparation considerations were discussed in terms of desired applications. This work demonstrated possible utilisations of biomass-originated carbon-based material for thermal energy recovery and storage applications, which can be a new route of carbon capture and utilisation.

  12. Phase-change materials for non-volatile memory devices: from technological challenges to materials science issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noé, Pierre; Vallée, Christophe; Hippert, Françoise; Fillot, Frédéric; Raty, Jean-Yves

    2018-01-01

    Chalcogenide phase-change materials (PCMs), such as Ge-Sb-Te alloys, have shown outstanding properties, which has led to their successful use for a long time in optical memories (DVDs) and, recently, in non-volatile resistive memories. The latter, known as PCM memories or phase-change random access memories (PCRAMs), are the most promising candidates among emerging non-volatile memory (NVM) technologies to replace the current FLASH memories at CMOS technology nodes under 28 nm. Chalcogenide PCMs exhibit fast and reversible phase transformations between crystalline and amorphous states with very different transport and optical properties leading to a unique set of features for PCRAMs, such as fast programming, good cyclability, high scalability, multi-level storage capability, and good data retention. Nevertheless, PCM memory technology has to overcome several challenges to definitively invade the NVM market. In this review paper, we examine the main technological challenges that PCM memory technology must face and we illustrate how new memory architecture, innovative deposition methods, and PCM composition optimization can contribute to further improvements of this technology. In particular, we examine how to lower the programming currents and increase data retention. Scaling down PCM memories for large-scale integration means the incorporation of the PCM into more and more confined structures and raises materials science issues in order to understand interface and size effects on crystallization. Other materials science issues are related to the stability and ageing of the amorphous state of PCMs. The stability of the amorphous phase, which determines data retention in memory devices, can be increased by doping the PCM. Ageing of the amorphous phase leads to a large increase of the resistivity with time (resistance drift), which has up to now hindered the development of ultra-high multi-level storage devices. A review of the current understanding of all these

  13. Supercooling suppression of microencapsulated phase change materials by optimizing shell composition and structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, Fangyu; Yang, Bao

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A new method for supercooling suppression of microPCMs by optimizing the structure of the microcapsule shell. • Large effective latent heat (up to 213 J/g) of the microPCMs, much higher than those using additive as nucleating agents. • Change of shell composition and structure significantly affects the phase transition processes of the encapsulated PCMs. • The latent heat of the shell-induced phase transition is maximized, reaching 83.7% of the latent heat of bulk octadecane. • Hollow spheres with porous rather than solid resin shell are also formed when the SDS concentration is very high. - Abstract: A new method for supercooling suppression of microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) has been developed by optimizing the composition and structure of the microcapsule resin shell. The microcapsules comprising paraffin octadecane encapsulated in melamine–formaldehyde resin shell were synthesized with the use the oil-in-water emulsion technique. These PCM microcapsules are 5–15 μm in diameter. The supercooling of these octadecane microcapsules can be as large as 13.6 °C, when the homogeneous nucleation is dominant during the melt crystallization into the thermodynamically stable triclinic phase. It is discovered that the homogeneous nucleation can be mediated by shell-induced nucleation of the triclinic phase and the metastable rotator phase when the shell composition and structure are optimized, without need of any nucleating additives. The effects of synthesis parameters, such as ratio of melamine to formaldehyde, pH of pre-polymer, and pH of emulsion, on the phase transition properties of the octadecane microcapsules have been investigated systemically. The optimum synthesis conditions have been identified in terms of minimizing the supercooling while maintaining heat capacity. Potential applications of this type of phase changeable microcapsules include high heat capacity thermal fluids, thermal management in smart buildings

  14. Maxwell rigidity and topological constraints in amorphous phase-change networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Micoulaut, M.; Otjacques, C.; Raty, J.-Y.; Bichara, C.

    2011-01-01

    By analyzing first-principles molecular-dynamics simulations of different telluride amorphous networks, we develop a method for the enumeration of radial and angular topological constraints, and show that the phase diagram of the most popular system Ge-Sb-Te can be split into two compositional elastic phases: a tellurium rich flexible phase and a stressed rigid phase that contains most of the materials used in phase-change applications. This sound atomic scale insight should open new avenues for the understanding of phase-change materials and other complex amorphous materials from the viewpoint of rigidity.

  15. Vibration damping and heat transfer using material phase changes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kloucek, Petr [Houston, TX; Reynolds, Daniel R [Oakland, CA

    2009-03-24

    A method and apparatus wherein phase changes in a material can dampen vibrational energy, dampen noise and facilitate heat transfer. One embodiment includes a method for damping vibrational energy in a body. The method comprises attaching a material to the body, wherein the material comprises a substrate, a shape memory alloy layer, and a plurality of temperature change elements. The method further comprises sensing vibrations in the body. In addition, the method comprises indicating to at least a portion of the temperature change elements to provide a temperature change in the shape memory alloy layer, wherein the temperature change is sufficient to provide a phase change in at least a portion of the shape memory alloy layer, and further wherein the phase change consumes a sufficient amount of kinetic energy to dampen at least a portion of the vibrational energy in the body. In other embodiments, the shape memory alloy layer is a thin film. Additional embodiments include a sensor connected to the material.

  16. Vibration damping and heat transfer using material phase changes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kloucek, Petr (Inventor); Reynolds, Daniel R. (Inventor)

    2009-01-01

    A method and apparatus wherein phase changes in a material can dampen vibrational energy, dampen noise and facilitate heat transfer. One embodiment includes a method for damping vibrational energy in a body. The method comprises attaching a material to the body, wherein the material comprises a substrate, a shape memory alloy layer, and a plurality of temperature change elements. The method further comprises sensing vibrations in the body. In addition, the method comprises indicating to at least a portion of the temperature change elements to provide a temperature change in the shape memory alloy layer, wherein the temperature change is sufficient to provide a phase change in at least a portion of the shape memory alloy layer, and further wherein the phase change consumes a sufficient amount of kinetic energy to dampen at least a portion of the vibrational energy in the body. In other embodiments, the shape memory alloy layer is a thin film. Additional embodiments include a sensor connected to the material.

  17. Chalcogenide phase-change thin films used as grayscale photolithography materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Rui; Wei, Jingsong; Fan, Yongtao

    2014-03-10

    Chalcogenide phase-change thin films are used in many fields, such as optical information storage and solid-state memory. In this work, we present another application of chalcogenide phase-change thin films, i.e., as grayscale photolithgraphy materials. The grayscale patterns can be directly inscribed on the chalcogenide phase-change thin films by a single process through direct laser writing method. In grayscale photolithography, the laser pulse can induce the formation of bump structure, and the bump height and size can be precisely controlled by changing laser energy. Bumps with different height and size present different optical reflection and transmission spectra, leading to the different gray levels. For example, the continuous-tone grayscale images of lifelike bird and cat are successfully inscribed onto Sb(2)Te(3) chalcogenide phase-change thin films using a home-built laser direct writer, where the expression and appearance of the lifelike bird and cat are fully presented. This work provides a way to fabricate complicated grayscale patterns using laser-induced bump structures onto chalcogenide phase-change thin films, different from current techniques such as photolithography, electron beam lithography, and focused ion beam lithography. The ability to form grayscale patterns of chalcogenide phase-change thin films reveals many potential applications in high-resolution optical images for micro/nano image storage, microartworks, and grayscale photomasks.

  18. Disorder-induced localization in crystalline phase-change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegrist, T; Jost, P; Volker, H; Woda, M; Merkelbach, P; Schlockermann, C; Wuttig, M

    2011-03-01

    Localization of charge carriers in crystalline solids has been the subject of numerous investigations over more than half a century. Materials that show a metal-insulator transition without a structural change are therefore of interest. Mechanisms leading to metal-insulator transition include electron correlation (Mott transition) or disorder (Anderson localization), but a clear distinction is difficult. Here we report on a metal-insulator transition on increasing annealing temperature for a group of crystalline phase-change materials, where the metal-insulator transition is due to strong disorder usually associated only with amorphous solids. With pronounced disorder but weak electron correlation, these phase-change materials form an unparalleled quantum state of matter. Their universal electronic behaviour seems to be at the origin of the remarkable reproducibility of the resistance switching that is crucial to their applications in non-volatile-memory devices. Controlling the degree of disorder in crystalline phase-change materials might enable multilevel resistance states in upcoming storage devices.

  19. Effect of crystal orientation on the phase diagrams, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of epitaxial BaTiO3 thin films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huaping Wu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The influence of crystal orientations on the phase diagrams, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of epitaxial BaTiO3 thin films has been investigated using an expanded nonlinear thermodynamic theory. The calculations reveal that crystal orientation has significant influence on the phase stability and phase transitions in the misfit strain-temperature phase diagrams. In particular, the (110 orientation leads to a lower symmetry and more complicated phase transition than the (111 orientation in BaTiO3 films. The increase of compressive strain will dramatically enhance the Curie temperature TC of (110-oriented BaTiO3 films, which matches well with previous experimental data. The polarization components experience a great change across the boundaries of different phases at room temperature in both (110- and (111-oriented films, which leads to the huge dielectric and piezoelectric responses. A good agreement is found between the present thermodynamics calculation and previous first-principles calculations. Our work provides an insight into how to use crystal orientation, epitaxial strain and temperature to tune the structure and properties of ferroelectrics.

  20. Energy Saving Potentials of Phase Change Materials Applied to Lightweight Building Envelopes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoon-Bok Seong

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Phase change materials (PCMs have been considered as an innovative technology that can reduce the peak loads and heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC energy consumption in buildings. Basically they are substances capable of storing or releasing thermal energy as latent heat. Because the amount of latent heat absorbed or released is much larger than the sensible heat, the application of PCMs in buildings has significant potential to reduce energy consumption. However, because each PCM has its own phase change temperature, which is the temperature at which latent heat is absorbed or released, it is important to use an appropriate PCM for the purpose of building envelope design. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the energy saving potentials in buildings when various PCMs with different phase change temperatures are applied to a lightweight building envelope by analyzing the thermal load characteristics. As results, the annual heating load increased at every phase change temperature, but the peak heating load decreased by 3.19% with heptadecane (phase change temperature 21 °C, and the lowest indoor temperature increased by 0.86 °C with heptadecane (phase change temperature 21 °C. The annual cooling load decreased by 1.05% with dodecanol (phase change temperature 24 °C, the peak cooling load decreased by 1.30% with octadecane (phase change temperature 29 °C, and the highest indoor temperature dropped by 0.50 °C with octadecane (phase change temperature 29 °C. When the night ventilation was applied to the building HVAC system for better passive cooling performance, the annual cooling load decreased by 9.28% with dodecanol (phase change temperature 24 °C, the peak load decreased by 11.33% with octadecane (phase change temperature 29 °C, and the highest indoor temperature dropped by 0.85 °C with octadecane (phase change temperature 29 °C.

  1. Plastic phase change material and articles made therefrom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abhari, Ramin

    2016-04-19

    The present invention generally relates to a method for manufacturing phase change material (PCM) pellets. The method includes providing a melt composition, including paraffin and a polymer. The paraffin has a melt point of between about 10.degree. C. and about 50.degree. C., and more preferably between about 18.degree. C. and about 28.degree. C. In one embodiment, the melt composition includes various additives, such as a flame retardant. The method further includes forming the melt composition into PCM pellets. The method further may include the step of cooling the melt to increase the melt viscosity before pelletizing. Further, PCM compounds are provided having an organic PCM and a polymer. Methods are provided to convert the PCM compounds into various form-stable PCMs. A method of coating the PCMs is included to provide PCMs with substantially no paraffin seepage and with ignition resistance properties.

  2. Microstructures and mechanical properties of two-phase alloys based on NbCr{sub 2}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, K.C.; Kotula, P.G.; Cady, C.M.; Mauro, M.E.; Thoma, D.J.

    1999-07-01

    A two-phase, NbCrTi alloy (bcc + C15 Laves phase) has been developed using several alloy design methodologies. In efforts to understand processing-microstructure-property relationships, different processing routes were employed. The resulting microstructures and mechanical properties are discussed and compared. Plasma arc melted (PAM) samples served to establish baseline, as-cast properties. In addition, a novel processing technique, involving decomposition of a supersaturated and metastable precursor phase during hot isostatic pressing (HIP), was used to produce a refined, equilibrium two-phase microstructure. Quasi-static compression tests as a function of temperature were performed on both alloy types. Different deformation mechanisms were encountered based upon temperature and microstructure.

  3. Preparation and characterization of hydrated salts/silica composite as shape-stabilized phase change material via sol–gel process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Yuping; Wang, Tao

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A mixture of hydrated salts were adopted as phase change materials. • Phase segregation of the hydrated salts was inhibited. • Subcooling was slightly mitigated. • Thermal cycling performance was greatly improved after PVP coating. - Abstract: A novel shape-stabilized phase change material composite was prepared by impregnating the mixture of hydrated salts (Na 2 SO 4 ·10H 2 O–Na 2 HPO 4 ·12H 2 O) into porous silica matrix obtained by sol–gel process and further coated with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to improve the thermal cycling performance. The chemical compatibility, morphology and phase change properties were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), hot-stage polarizing optical microscope (HS-POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Confined in the silica matrix, phase segregation of the hydrated salts was inhibited and subcooling was slightly mitigated. No leakage was observed during the solid–liquid phase transition even when the mass ratio of hydrated salts to silica was as high as 70:30. Results showed that the melting enthalpy of the composite can reach 106.2 kJ/kg with the melting temperature at 30.13 °C and there was no significant enthalpy loss after 30 thermal cycles

  4. Preparation, characterization, and thermal properties of starch microencapsulated fatty acids as phase change materials thermal energy storage applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stable starch-oil composites can be prepared from renewable resources by excess steam jet-cooking aqueous slurries of starch and vegetable oils or other hydrophobic materials. Fatty acids such as stearic acid are promising phase change materials (PCMs) for latent heat thermal energy storage applica...

  5. Evolution of cell resistance, threshold voltage and crystallization temperature during cycling of line-cell phase-change random access memory

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oosthoek, J. L. M.; Attenborough, K.; Hurkx, G. A. M.; Jedema, F. J.; Gravesteijn, D. J.; Kooi, B. J.

    2011-01-01

    Doped SbTe phase change (PRAM) line cells produced by e-beam lithography were cycled 100 million times. During cell cycling the evolution of many cell properties were monitored, in particular the crystalline and amorphous resistance, amorphous resistance drift exponent, time-dependent threshold

  6. Phase change materials science and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Raoux, Simone

    2009-01-01

    ""Phase Change Materials: Science and Applications"" provides a unique introduction of this rapidly developing field. This clearly written volume describes the material science of these fascinating materials from a theoretical and experimental perspective.

  7. Unusual crystallization behavior in Ga-Sb phase change alloys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Magali Putero

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Combined in situ X-ray scattering techniques using synchrotron radiation were applied to investigate the crystallization behavior of Sb-rich Ga-Sb alloys. Measurements of the sheet resistance during heating indicated a reduced crystallization temperature with increased Sb content, which was confirmed by in situ X-ray diffraction. The electrical contrast increased with increasing Sb content and the resistivities in both the amorphous and crystalline phases decreased. It was found that by tuning the composition between Ga:Sb = 9:91 (in at.% and Ga:Sb = 45:55, the change in mass density upon crystallization changes from an increase in mass density which is typical for most phase change materials to a decrease in mass density. At the composition of Ga:Sb = 30:70, no mass density change is observed which should be very beneficial for phase change random access memory (PCRAM applications where a change in mass density during cycling is assumed to cause void formation and PCRAM device failure.

  8. Polarization selective phase-change nanomodulator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appavoo, Kannatassen; Haglund, Richard F

    2014-10-27

    Manipulating optical signals below the diffraction limit is crucial for next-generation data-storage and telecommunication technologies. Although controlling the flow of light around nanoscale waveguides was achieved over a decade ago, modulating optical signals at terahertz frequencies within nanoscale volumes remains a challenge. Since the physics underlying any modulator relies on changes in dielectric properties, the incorporation of strongly electron-correlated materials (SECMs) has been proposed because they can exhibit orders of magnitude changes in electrical and optical properties with modest thermal, electrical or optical trigger signals. Here we demonstrate a hybrid nanomodulator of deep sub-wavelength dimensions with an active volume of only 0.002 µm(3) by spatially confining light on the nanometre length scale using a plasmonic nanostructure while simultaneously controlling the reactive near-field environment at its optical focus with a single, precisely positioned SECM nanostructure. Since the nanomodulator functionality hinges on this near-field electromagnetic interaction, the modulation is also selectively responsive to polarization. This architecture suggests one path for designing reconfigurable optoelectronic building blocks with responses that can be tailored with exquisite precision by varying size, geometry, and the intrinsic materials properties of the hybrid elements.

  9. Thermal conductivity of an organic phase change material/expanded graphite composite across the phase change temperature range and a novel thermal conductivity model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ling, Ziye; Chen, Jiajie; Xu, Tao; Fang, Xiaoming; Gao, Xuenong; Zhang, Zhengguo

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Expanded graphite can improve thermal conductivity of RT44HC by 20–60 times. • Thermal conductivity of PCM/EG composites keeps constant before/after melting. • Thermal conductivity of PCMs nearly doubled during phase changing. • Thermal conductivity of composite PCM increases with density and percentage of EG. • The simple model predicts thermal conductivity of EG-based composites accurately. - Abstract: This work studies factors that affect the thermal conductivity of an organic phase change material (PCM), RT44HC/expanded graphite (EG) composite, which include: EG mass fraction, composite PCM density and temperature. The increase of EG mass fraction and bulk density will both enhance thermal conductivity of composite PCMs, by up to 60 times. Thermal conductivity of RT44HC/EG composites remains independent on temperature outside the phase change range (40–45 °C), but nearly doubles during the phase change. The narrow temperature change during the phase change allows the maximum heat flux or minimum temperature for heat source if attaching PCMs to a first (constant temperature) or second (constant heat flux) thermal boundary. At last, a simple thermal conductivity model for EG-based composites is put forward, based on only two parameters: mass fraction of EG and bulk density of the composite. This model is validated with experiment data presented in this paper and in literature, showing this model has general applicability to any composite of EG and poor thermal conductive materials

  10. Crystallization characteristic and scaling behavior of germanium antimony thin films for phase change memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Weihua; Zhao, Zihan; Shen, Bo; Zhai, Jiwei; Song, Sannian; Song, Zhitang

    2018-04-19

    Amorphous Ge8Sb92 thin films with various thicknesses were deposited by magnetron sputtering. The crystallization kinetics and optical properties of the Ge8Sb92 thin films and related scaling effects were investigated by an in situ thermally induced method and an optical technique. With a decrease in film thickness, the crystallization temperature, crystallization activation energy and data retention ability increased significantly. The changed crystallization behavior may be ascribed to the smaller grain size and larger surface-to-volume ratio as the film thickness decreased. Regardless of whether the state was amorphous or crystalline, the film resistance increased remarkably as the film thickness decreased to 3 nm. The optical band gap calculated from the reflection spectra increases distinctly with a reduction in film thickness. X-ray diffraction patterns confirm that the scaling of the Ge8Sb92 thin film can inhibit the crystallization process and reduce the grain size. The values of exponent indices that were obtained indicate that the crystallization mechanism experiences a series of changes with scaling of the film thickness. The crystallization time was estimated to determine the scaling effect on the phase change speed. The scaling effect on the electrical switching performance of a phase change memory cell was also determined. The current-voltage and resistance-voltage characteristics indicate that phase change memory cells based on a thinner Ge8Sb92 film will exhibit a higher threshold voltage, lower RESET operational voltage and greater pulse width, which implies higher thermal stability, lower power consumption and relatively lower switching velocity.

  11. Phase composition and magnetic properties in nanocrystalline permanent magnets based on misch-metal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Q.; Wang, J.; Zhang, Z. Y.; Zhang, X. F.; Liu, F.; Liu, Y. L.; Jv, X. M.; Li, Y. F.; Wang, G. F.

    2017-09-01

    The magnetic properties and phase composition of magnets based on misch-metal (MM) with nominal composition of MM13+xFe84-xB6.5 with x = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 using melt-spinning method were investigated. For x = 1.5, it could exhibit best magnetic properties (Hcj = 753.02 kA m-1, (BH)max = 70.77 kJ m-3). X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy show that the multi hard magnetic phase of RE2Fe14B (RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd) existed in the magnets. The domain wall pinning effect and the exchange coupling interaction between grains are dependent on the abnormal RE-rich phase composition. Optimizing the phase constitution is necessary to improve magnetic properties in MM-Fe-B magnets for utilizing the rare earth resource in a balanced manner.

  12. Modelling property changes in graphite irradiated at changing irradiation temperature

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Kok, S

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available A new method is proposed to predict the irradiation induced property changes in nuclear; graphite, including the effect of a change in irradiation temperature. The currently used method; to account for changes in irradiation temperature, the scaled...

  13. Crystal phase transition in LixNa1-xGdF4 solid solution nanocrystals - Tuning of optical properties

    KAUST Repository

    Bański, Mateusz

    2014-01-01

    The influence of precursor composition on the crystallization of LixNa1-xGdF4 is investigated and discussed. Nanocrystals are prepared from the thermal decomposition of trifluoroacetates in the presence of trioctylphosphine oxide to provide control over particle size. A crystal phase transition from hexagonal to cubic and to tetragonal is observed by increasing lithium trifluoroacetate (Li-TFA) in the solution. Controlling the composition of LixNa1-xGdF4 nanocrystals results in modified crystal field symmetry and emission properties from doped europium (Eu3+) ions. We report that for lithium (Li+) substitution <15%, the hexagonal crystal field is preferred, while the Eu3+ emission is already tuned, whereas at higher Li+ substitution, a phase change takes place and the number of crystalline matrix defects increases which is reflected in the optical properties of Eu3+. From Eu3+ emission properties, the optimum Li+ content is determined to be ∼6.2% in the prepared LixNa1-xGdF4 nanocrystals.

  14. Composite of wood-plastic and micro-encapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) used for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jamekhorshid, A.; Sadrameli, S.M.; Barzin, R.; Farid, M.M.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A composite of wood–plastic-MEPCM has been produced. • Compression molding has been used for the composite preparation. • Thermal and properties were investigated using DSC analysis and cycling test. • Leakage test has been performed for the encapsulated PCM. • The composites can be used as a building material for thermal energy management. - Abstract: Application of phase change materials (PCMs) in lightweight building is growing due to the high latent heat of fusion of PCMs and their ability to control temperature by absorbing and releasing heat efficiently. Wood-plastic composites (WPC) are materials used in the interior parts of buildings that have improved properties compared to conventional materials. However, these materials have low energy storage capacity, which can be improved by incorporating PCM in them. Leakage of PCM is a major obstacle to the industrial applications, which can be solved through the use of microencapsulated PCM (MEPCM). This paper presents the performance tests conducted for a composite of wood-plastic-MEPCM for using in buildings for thermal storage. The wood-plastic-MEPCM composites were produced in this project using compression molding and their thermal and mechanical properties were investigated using DSC analysis, cycling test, leakage test, and three point bending analysis. The results showed that there is no leakage of PCM during phase change. The results also indicated that the composite has reasonable thermal properties, but its mechanical properties need to be improved by increasing the pressure during the molding process or by using extrusion method. The produced composites can be used as a building material for thermal energy management of building.

  15. The effect of aerosol-derived changes in the warm phase on the properties of deep convective clouds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Qian; Koren, Ilan; Altaratz, Orit; Heiblum, Reuven; Dagan, Guy

    2017-04-01

    The aerosol impact on deep convective clouds starts in an increased number of cloud droplets in higher aerosol loading environment. This change drives many others, like enhanced condensational growth, delay in collision-coalescence and others. Since the warm processes serve as the initial and boundary conditions for the mixed and cold-phase processes in deep clouds, it is highly important to understand the aerosol effect on them. The weather research and forecasting model (WRF) with spectral bin microphysics was used to study a deep convective system over the Marshall Islands, during the Kwajalein Experiment (KWAJEX). Three simulations were conducted with aerosol concentrations of 100, 500 and 2000 cm-3, to reflect clean, semipolluted, and polluted conditions. The results of the clean run agreed well with the radar profiles and rain rate observations. The more polluted simulations resulted in larger total cloud mass, larger upper level cloud fraction and rain rates. There was an increased mass both below and above the zero temperature level. It indicates of more efficient growth processes both below and above the zero level. In addition the polluted runs showed an increased upward transport (across the zero level) of liquid water due to both stronger updrafts and larger droplet mobility. In this work we discuss the transport of cloud mass crossing the zero temperature level (in both directions) in order to gain a process level understanding of how aerosol effects on the warm processes affect the macro- and micro-properties of deep convective clouds.

  16. Shape-stabilized phase change materials with high thermal conductivity based on paraffin/graphene oxide composite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mehrali, Mohammad; Latibari, Sara Tahan; Mehrali, Mehdi; Metselaar, Hendrik Simon Cornelis; Silakhori, Mahyar

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► The composite PCM was prepared with impregnation method. ► Shapes stabilized phase change material made with paraffin and GO composite. ► Determine effects of GO composite on shape stabilized PCM properties. ► The composite PCM has good thermal stability and form-stability. ► The composite PCM has much higher thermal conductivity than that of paraffin. - Abstract: This paper mainly focuses on the preparation, characterization, thermal properties and thermal stability and reliability of new form-stable composite phase change materials (PCMs) prepared by vacuum impregnation of paraffin within graphene oxide (GO) sheets. SEM and FT-IR techniques and TGA and DSC analysis are used for characterization of material and thermal properties. The composite PCM contained 48.3 wt.% of paraffin without leakage of melted PCM and therefore this composite found to be a form-stable composite PCM. SEM results indicate that the paraffin bounded into the pores of GO. FT-IR analysis showed there was no chemical reaction between paraffin and GO. Temperatures of melting and freezing and latent heats of the composite were 53.57 and 44.59 °C and 63.76 and 64.89 kJ/kg, respectively. Thermal cycling tests were done by 2500 melting/freezing cycling for verification of the form-stable composite PCM in terms of thermal reliability and chemical stability. Thermal conductivity of the composite PCM was highly improved from 0.305 to 0.985 (W/mk). As a result, the prepared paraffin/GO composite is appropriate PCM for thermal energy storage applications because of their acceptable thermal properties, good thermal reliability, chemical stability and thermal conductivities

  17. Synthesis and characterization of microencapsulated myristic acid–palmitic acid eutectic mixture as phase change material for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alva, Guruprasad; Huang, Xiang; Liu, Lingkun; Fang, Guiyin

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: •Myristic acid–palmitic acid eutectic was microencapsulated with silica shell. •Structure, morphology of microencapsulated phase change material were investigated. •Thermal capacity, stability of microencapsulated phase change material were analyzed. •Silica shell improved thermal stability of microencapsulated phase change material. -- Abstract: In this work microencapsulation of myristic acid–palmitic acid (MA–PA) eutectic mixture with silica shell using sol−gel method has been attempted. The core phase change material (PCM) for thermal energy storage was myristic acid−palmitic acid eutectic mixture and the shell material to prevent the PCM core from leakage was silica prepared from methyl triethoxysilane (MTES). Thermal properties of the microcapsules were measured by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The morphology and particle size of the microcapsules were examined by scanning electronic microscope (SEM). Fourier transformation infrared spectrophotometer (FT–IR) and X–ray diffractometer (XRD) were used to investigate the chemical structure and crystalloid phase of the microcapsules respectively. The DSC results indicated that microencapsulated phase change material (MPCM) melts at 46.08 °C with a latent heat of 169.69 kJ kg −1 and solidifies at 44.35 °C with a latent heat of 159.59 kJ kg −1 . The thermal stability of the microcapsules was analyzed by a thermogravimeter (TGA). The results indicated that the MPCM has good thermal stability and is suitable for thermal energy storage application.

  18. Preliminary Study of Applying Phase Change Materials (PCM) for Containment Passive Cooling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ko, A Reum; Lee, Jeong Ik; Yoon, Ho Joon

    2016-01-01

    Most of Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) containments use fan cooler systems and containment spray systems. However, the importance of passive safety system has increased after the Fukushima accident. As the main passive safety system, Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS), which utilizes natural phenomena to remove the heat released from the reactor, is suggested in the advanced pressurized water reactor (APWR). To increase the efficiency of passive cooling, additional passive containment cooling method using Phase Change Material (PCM) is suggested in this paper. For containment using PCMs, there are many advantages. Phase Change Material (PCM) is proposed as an additional passive containment cooling method to increase the efficiency of passive cooling in this paper. To apply proper PCMs to containment, commercially available PCMs were screened while reviewing thermophysical properties data and suggested selection criteria. A sensitivity study was also carried out to identify the effect of potential installation location of PCM using the CAP code. The pressure of containment in most cases showed slightly higher than that of the initial case. For the temperature of steam and water and humidity, similar results with the initial case were showed in most cases

  19. Preliminary Study of Applying Phase Change Materials (PCM) for Containment Passive Cooling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ko, A Reum; Lee, Jeong Ik [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Ho Joon [KUSTAR, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

    2016-05-15

    Most of Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) containments use fan cooler systems and containment spray systems. However, the importance of passive safety system has increased after the Fukushima accident. As the main passive safety system, Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS), which utilizes natural phenomena to remove the heat released from the reactor, is suggested in the advanced pressurized water reactor (APWR). To increase the efficiency of passive cooling, additional passive containment cooling method using Phase Change Material (PCM) is suggested in this paper. For containment using PCMs, there are many advantages. Phase Change Material (PCM) is proposed as an additional passive containment cooling method to increase the efficiency of passive cooling in this paper. To apply proper PCMs to containment, commercially available PCMs were screened while reviewing thermophysical properties data and suggested selection criteria. A sensitivity study was also carried out to identify the effect of potential installation location of PCM using the CAP code. The pressure of containment in most cases showed slightly higher than that of the initial case. For the temperature of steam and water and humidity, similar results with the initial case were showed in most cases.

  20. Gradient augmented level set method for phase change simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anumolu, Lakshman; Trujillo, Mario F.

    2018-01-01

    A numerical method for the simulation of two-phase flow with phase change based on the Gradient-Augmented-Level-set (GALS) strategy is presented. Sharp capturing of the vaporization process is enabled by: i) identification of the vapor-liquid interface, Γ (t), at the subgrid level, ii) discontinuous treatment of thermal physical properties (except for μ), and iii) enforcement of mass, momentum, and energy jump conditions, where the gradients of the dependent variables are obtained at Γ (t) and are consistent with their analytical expression, i.e. no local averaging is applied. Treatment of the jump in velocity and pressure at Γ (t) is achieved using the Ghost Fluid Method. The solution of the energy equation employs the sub-grid knowledge of Γ (t) to discretize the temperature Laplacian using second-order one-sided differences, i.e. the numerical stencil completely resides within each respective phase. To carefully evaluate the benefits or disadvantages of the GALS approach, the standard level set method is implemented and compared against the GALS predictions. The results show the expected trend that interface identification and transport are predicted noticeably better with GALS over the standard level set. This benefit carries over to the prediction of the Laplacian and temperature gradients in the neighborhood of the interface, which are directly linked to the calculation of the vaporization rate. However, when combining the calculation of interface transport and reinitialization with two-phase momentum and energy, the benefits of GALS are to some extent neutralized, and the causes for this behavior are identified and analyzed. Overall the additional computational costs associated with GALS are almost the same as those using the standard level set technique.

  1. Effect of crystal orientation on the phase diagrams, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of epitaxial BaTiO{sub 3} thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Huaping, E-mail: wuhuaping@gmail.com, E-mail: hpwu@zjut.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of E& M (Zhejiang University of Technology), Ministry of Education & Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310014 (China); State Key Laboratory of Structural Analysis for Industrial Equipment, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China); Ma, Xuefu; Zhang, Zheng; Zeng, Jun; Chai, Guozhong [Key Laboratory of E& M (Zhejiang University of Technology), Ministry of Education & Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310014 (China); Wang, Jie [Department of Engineering Mechanics, School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China)

    2016-01-15

    The influence of crystal orientations on the phase diagrams, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of epitaxial BaTiO{sub 3} thin films has been investigated using an expanded nonlinear thermodynamic theory. The calculations reveal that crystal orientation has significant influence on the phase stability and phase transitions in the misfit strain-temperature phase diagrams. In particular, the (110) orientation leads to a lower symmetry and more complicated phase transition than the (111) orientation in BaTiO{sub 3} films. The increase of compressive strain will dramatically enhance the Curie temperature T{sub C} of (110)-oriented BaTiO{sub 3} films, which matches well with previous experimental data. The polarization components experience a great change across the boundaries of different phases at room temperature in both (110)- and (111)-oriented films, which leads to the huge dielectric and piezoelectric responses. A good agreement is found between the present thermodynamics calculation and previous first-principles calculations. Our work provides an insight into how to use crystal orientation, epitaxial strain and temperature to tune the structure and properties of ferroelectrics.

  2. {sup 197}Au irradiation study of phase-change memory cell with GeSbTe alloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Liangcai; Song, Zhitang; Lian, Jie; Rao, Feng; Liu, Bo; Song, Sannian; Liu, Weili; Feng, Songlin [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Laboratory of Nanotechnology, Shanghai Institute of Micro-system and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Zhou, Xilin; Liu, Xuyan [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Laboratory of Nanotechnology, Shanghai Institute of Micro-system and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080 (China)

    2010-10-15

    A {sup 197}Au ion source was used to irradiate a Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5}-alloy-based phase-change memory (PCM) cell to study the ion-irradiation effect on the properties of the cell. The PCM devices with the tungsten (W) heating electrode of 260 nm diameter were fabricated by 0.18 {mu}m complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Four different doses (10{sup 10}, 10{sup 11}, 10{sup 12}, and 5 x 10{sup 12} ions/cm{sup 2}, respectively) were applied to irradiate the PCM cell. The samples before and after irradiation were characterized by current-voltage and resistance measurements at room temperature. It is found that the cell properties (resistance value of the amorphous and crystalline states, threshold voltage, and current for phase transition, etc.) have hardly changed, even for the sample irradiated up to 10{sup 12} ions/cm{sup 2} dose, and the cell still has good set-reset operation ability (above 10{sup 5} cycles). Furthermore, the resistance ratio remains at 1000 even after 10{sup 5} cycles of the set-reset operation. The results show the PCM cell with Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} alloy has a strong ion-irradiation tolerance. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  3. A non-destructive method to measure the thermal properties of frozen soils during phase transition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bin Zhang

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Frozen soils cover about 40% of the land surface on the earth and are responsible for the global energy balances affecting the climate. Measurement of the thermal properties of frozen soils during phase transition is important for analyzing the thermal transport process. Due to the involvement of phase transition, the thermal properties of frozen soils are rather complex. This paper introduces the uses of a multifunctional instrument that integrates time domain reflectometry (TDR sensor and thermal pulse technology (TPT to measure the thermal properties of soil during phase transition. With this method, the extent of phase transition (freezing/thawing was measured with the TDR module; and the corresponding thermal properties were measured with the TPT module. Therefore, the variation of thermal properties with the extent of freezing/thawing can be obtained. Wet soils were used to demonstrate the performance of this measurement method. The performance of individual modules was first validated with designed experiments. The new sensor was then used to monitor the properties of soils during freezing–thawing process, from which the freezing/thawing degree and thermal properties were simultaneously measured. The results are consistent with documented trends of thermal properties variations.

  4. Phase transformations and mechanical properties in heat treated superaustenitic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koutsoukis, T.; Redjaïmia, A.; Fourlaris, G.

    2013-01-01

    A microstructure–properties relationship study in two superaustenitic stainless steels (S31254 and S32654) was carried out, following exposure at elevated temperatures for various ageing times. Due to high temperature ageing, most stainless steel grades suffer the formation of various precipitates, directly affecting their properties. The full characterization of those precipitates and the correlation with the mechanical behavior of the steels is the primary aim of this study. Samples of the steel grades studied, were exposed to isothermal heat treatments within the temperature range of 650–950 °C, for ageing times varying between 0.5 h and 3000 h, followed by water quenching at room temperature. Microstructural examination indicated the formation of four different secondary phases, sigma phase (σ), chi phase (χ), Laves phase and β-Cr 2 N nitride, which were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron diffraction. The results obtained permitted the construction of the time–temperature–precipitation (TTP) plots. In addition, tensile and Vickers hardness testing were utilized and the modulus of toughness was calculated. The kinetics of the formation of various precipitates with increasing temperature and aging duration was also observed. It was found that various precipitates had a significant effect on all mechanical properties studied.

  5. Phase change memory based on SnSe{sub 4} alloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karanja, J.M.; Karimi, P.M.; Njoroge, W.K. [Physics Department, Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 43844, Nairobi (Kenya); Wamwangi, D.M., E-mail: Daniel.Wamwangi@wits.ac.za [School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, 2050 (South Africa)

    2013-01-01

    A phase change alloy has been synthesized and characterized. The reversible phase transitions between amorphous and crystalline states of SnSe{sub 4} films have been studied using variable electrical pulses and X-ray diffraction. Temperature dependent sheet resistance measurements have shown two distinct resistivity states of more than two orders of magnitude. This high electrical contrast makes the alloy suitable for nonvolatile phase change memory applications. X-ray diffraction has attributed the large electrical contrast to an amorphous–crystalline phase transition. The nonvolatile memory cells have been fabricated using a simple sandwich structure (metal/chalcogenide thin film/metal). A threshold voltage of 3.71 V has been determined for this phase change random access memory cell. Memory switching was initiated using the voltage pulses of 3.71 V, 90 ns, 1.3 V and 26 μs, for the crystallization and amorphization process, respectively. - Highlights: ► Phase transition of SnSe{sub 4} alloys with high set resistivity of 1.43 Ωm ► High transition temperatures of 174 °C ► Transition due to amorphous–crystalline changes ► Threshold switching at a high threshold voltage of 3.71 V.

  6. Dynamic strength properties and alpha-phase shock Hugoniot of iron and steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, S. A.; Hawkins, M. C.; Matthes, M. K.; Gray, G. T.; Hixson, R. S.

    2018-05-01

    The properties of iron and steel are of considerable interest scientifically to the dynamic materials properties' community, as well as to a broader audience, for many applications. This is true in part because of the existence of a solid-solid phase (α-ɛ) transition at relatively modest stress (13 GPa). Because of this, there is a significant amount of data on iron and steel alloy shock compression properties at stresses above 13 GPa, but much less fundamental data under stress conditions lower than that, where the metals are in the α-phase. New data have been obtained under relatively low stress (below 10 GPa) conditions in which samples are subjected to low-velocity symmetric impact on the order of 0.2 to 0.4 km/s. We used well-developed flyer plate impact methods combined with velocity interferometry to measure wave speeds and strength properties in compression and tension. The shock α-phase Hugoniot data reported here are compared with literature values. A comparison of spall strength and Hugoniot elastic limit is made between different types of steel studied and for pure iron.

  7. Nanostructure evolution and mechanical property changes during aging of a super duplex stainless steel at 300 °C

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pettersson, Niklas, E-mail: niklas.pettersson@swerea.se [Swerea KIMAB AB, P.O. Box 7047, SE-164 07 Kista (Sweden); Wessman, Sten [Swerea KIMAB AB, P.O. Box 7047, SE-164 07 Kista (Sweden); Thuvander, Mattias [Department of Applied Physics Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg (Sweden); Hedström, Peter; Odqvist, Joakim [Department of Material Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm (Sweden); Pettersson, Rachel F.A. [The Swedish Steel Producers' Association, Box 1721, SE-111 87 Stockholm (Sweden); Hertzman, Staffan [Outokumpu Stainless Research Foundation, Brinellvägen 23, SE-100 44 Stockholm (Sweden)

    2015-10-28

    The nanostructure evolution and the corresponding changes in mechanical properties of a super duplex stainless steel 2507 (UNS S32750) during aging at 300 °C up to 12,000 h have been investigated. Microstructural studies using transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography show that subtle Cr concentration fluctuations develop during aging. The amplitude of the concentration fluctuations is proportional to the hardness of the ferrite phase, and it is also proportional to the decrease in room temperature impact toughness during aging. The fracture behaviour of the alloy changes gradually from ductile to cleavage fracture, upon aging. The cracks were found to propagate through the ferrite phase, partly along deformation twin interfaces, and delamination between the austenite and ferrite phases was observed.

  8. Simulation studies of GST phase change alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martyna, Glenn

    2008-03-01

    In order to help drive post-Moore's Law technology development, switching processes involving novel materials, in particular, GeSbTe (GST) alloys are being investigated for use in memory and eFuse applications. An anneal/quench thermal process crystallizes/amorphosizes a GST alloy which then has a low/high resistance and thereby forms a readable/writeable bit; for example, a ``one'' might be the low resistance, conducting crystalline state and a ``zero'' might be the high resistance, glassy state. There are many open questions about the precise nature of the structural transitions and the coupling to electronic structure changes. Computational and experimental studies of the effect of pressure on the GST materials were initiated in order to probe the physics behind the thermal switching process. A new pathway to reversible phase change involving pressure-induced structural metal insulator transitions was discovered. In a binary GS system, a room-temperature, direct, pressure-induced transformation from the high resistance amorphous phase to the low resistance crystalline phase was observed experimentally while the reverse process under tensile load was demonstrated via ab initio MD simulations performed on IBM's Blue Gene/L enabled by massively parallel software. Pressure induced transformations of the ternary material GST-225 (Ge2Sb2Te5) were, also, examined In the talk, the behavior of the two systems will be compared and insight into the nature of the phase change given.

  9. Nonvolatile memory design magnetic, resistive, and phase change

    CERN Document Server

    Li, Hai

    2011-01-01

    The manufacture of flash memory, which is the dominant nonvolatile memory technology, is facing severe technical barriers. So much so, that some emerging technologies have been proposed as alternatives to flash memory in the nano-regime. Nonvolatile Memory Design: Magnetic, Resistive, and Phase Changing introduces three promising candidates: phase-change memory, magnetic random access memory, and resistive random access memory. The text illustrates the fundamental storage mechanism of these technologies and examines their differences from flash memory techniques. Based on the latest advances,

  10. Reversible bulk-phase change of anthroyl compounds for photopatterning based on photodimerization in the molten state and thermal back reaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kihara, Hideyuki; Yoshida, Masaru

    2013-04-10

    As new organic materials for rewritable photopatterning, 2-anthroyl and 9-anthroyl ester compounds were synthesized. Their bulk-phase changes (we use "bulk-phase change" as complete phase change in a mass of a material neither in a surface nor in a small quantity in this study) triggered by photodimerization under melting conditions (melt-photodimerization) and subsequent thermal back reactions were investigated. All the anthroyl compounds exhibited melting points lower than ca. 160 °C, and they were nearly quantitatively converted to the corresponding photodimers by UV irradiation at temperatures of ∼5 °C higher than their respective melting points. We found that there were two kinds of bulk-phase change behaviors through the photoreaction. Two of the anthroyl compounds remained isotropic and lost fluidity during the melt-photodimerization. The obtained photodimers exhibited robust solid-state amorphous phases at room temperature. In contrast, the other three anthroyl compounds showed crystallization during the melt-photodimerization. The resulting photodimers changed from isotropic to crystalline phases, even at high temperature. Various experiments revealed that the bulk phase of the photodimers was affected not by the existence of regioisomers but by their fluidity at the photoirradiation temperature. The latter three photodimers retained enough fluidity, reflecting their high molecular mobilities at the photoirradiation temperature at which the isothermal crystallization occurred. The other two products were not able to crystallize due to low fluidity, resulting in amorphous phases. We also found that all the photodimers reverted to the corresponding monomers by thermal back reaction and recovered their initial photochemical and thermal properties. Using these reversible bulk-phase changes of the anthroyl compounds, we successfully demonstrated rewritable photopatterning in not only negative images but also positive ones, based on the optical contrast

  11. Stable, low-cost phase change material for building applications: The eutectic mixture of decanoic acid and tetradecanoic acid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kahwaji, Samer; Johnson, Michel B.; Kheirabadi, Ali C.; Groulx, Dominic; White, Mary Anne

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Decanoic/tetradecanoic acid eutectic at 0.82 ± 0.02 mole fraction (78 ± 2 mass%) decanoic acid. • Melting of eutectic at 20.5 ± 1.5 °C, useful for building applications. • High enthalpy change, 153 ± 15 J g"−"1, is promising. • Negligible change in stability after 3000 melt–freeze cycles. - Abstract: We present a thorough characterization of the thermal properties and thermal reliability of the eutectic mixture of decanoic acid with tetradecanoic acid, as a phase change material (PCM) of potential interest for passive temperature control in buildings. From the temperature-composition binary phase diagram we found that the eutectic composition is 0.82 ± 0.02 mole fraction (78 ± 2 mass%) decanoic acid. We thoroughly characterized the thermal properties of the eutectic mixture. The eutectic composition has a high latent heat of fusion Δ_f_u_sH = 153 ± 15 J g"−"1 and a melting temperature T_o_n_s_e_t = 20.5 ± 1.5 °C. The heat capacity measured as a function of temperature for the solid and liquid phases just below and above the melting point is 1.9 and 2.1 ± 0.2 J K"−"1 g"−"1, respectively. The average value of the thermal conductivity of the solid phase measured between −33 and 9 °C is κ_s = 0.20 ± 0.02 W m"−"1 K"−"1 and for the liquid phase, the thermal conductivity is κ_l = 0.23 ± 0.03 W m"−"1 K"−"1 for 28 and 38 °C. The mixture has a good long-term thermal stability as indicated by negligible changes in Δ_f_u_sH and T_o_n_s_e_t after 3000 melt–freeze cycles. The parameters determined in this work allow more accurate modeling and optimization of the behavior of the eutectic mixture in preparation for implementation as a thermal energy storage PCM.

  12. Cold storage condensation heat recovery system with a novel composite phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xia, Mingzhu; Yuan, Yanping; Zhao, Xudong; Cao, Xiaoling; Tang, Zhonghua

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Cold storage condensation heat recovery system using PCM was proposed. • CW with a phase change temperature of nearly 80 °C was selected as the potential PCM. • The optimal mass ratio between the CW and EG was 10:1. • The thermal and physical performances of the CW/EG were investigated. • The thermal reliability was demonstrated by 1000 cycles. - Abstract: Using condensation heat from cold storage refrigeration systems to provide heat for domestic hot water preparation and industrial hot water supply promotes energy conservation. However, few studies have investigated cold storage condensation heat recovery using phase change materials (PCMs). In this study, a cold storage condensation heat recovery system that uses PCMs has been designed and analysed. According to the principle of energy cascade recycling, different operation modes could be effectively switched to recycle condensation heat. Furthermore, a novel and suitable phase change composite material is developed for cold storage condensation heat recovery, which has a relatively large latent heat, high thermal conductivity, and an appropriate phase change temperature (i.e. 80 °C). With carnauba wax (CW) as the PCM and expanded graphite (EG) as the additive, a composite was developed with an optimal mass ratio of CW:EG = 10:1. The thermal and physical properties and the interior structure of the composite were then investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermal constants analyser (Hot Disk), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR). Furthermore, experiments on the melting and solidification processes and accelerated thermal cycling were also conducted. It was found that at the optimal mass ratio of 10:1, the temperatures of the CW/EG composite in the melting and solidification processes were 81.98 °C and 80.43 °C, respectively, while the corresponding latent heats were 150.9 J/g and 142.6 J/g, respectively

  13. Preparation and performance of porous phase change polyethylene glycol/polyurethane membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ke Guizhen; Xie Huifang; Ruan Ruping; Yu Weidong

    2010-01-01

    Based on the theory of clotty porous phase change materials, the porous membrane was prepared with the blend of polyurethane (PU) and two polyethylene glycol (PEG) systems. Studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermo-gravimetric (TG) tests, the morphology structure, chemical composition, crystalline morphology, phase change behaviors and thermal stability of porous phase change membrane were investigated. The results showed that the PU/PEG membrane had obvious porous structural feature, suitable transition temperature and high transition enthalpy. It is a flexible membrane with good energy storage function. When it is between solid and liquid transfer state in microcosms, the membrane can still keep solid shape in macroscopic state at high temperature during phase transition processing. It means that porous membrane PCM can be regarded as functional polymer. This method solved the problem of low working materials content in phase change textile. It succeeded in introducing the porous technology into functional textile's formation, and developed a new way to improve the phase change enthalpy largely for adjustable textile.

  14. Combined effect of dopant and electron beam-irradiation on phase transition in lithium potassium sulphate[Lithium potassium sulphate; Phase transition; Impurity effect; Thermal properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kassem, M.E.; Gaafar, M.; Abdel Gawad, M.M.H.; El-Muraikhi, M.; Ragab, I.M

    2004-02-01

    Thermodynamic studies of polycrystalline ruthenium (Ru) doped LiKSO{sub 4} have been made for different concentrations of Ru in the range 0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3% by weight. The thermal behaviour has been investigated using a differential scanning calorimeter in the vicinity of high temperature phases. From this, the effect of electron beam-irradiation on the thermal properties of these polycrystalline samples has been studied. The results showed a change in the transition temperature T{sub c}, as well as the value of specific heat C{sub P{sub max}} at the transition temperature due to the change in Ru content and irradiation energies. The change of enthalpy and entropy of the polycrystalline have been estimated numerically.

  15. Microstructural changes in ground 3Y-TZP and their effect on mechanical properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Munoz-Tabares, J.A., E-mail: j.a.munoz.tabares@gmail.com [Departament de Ciencia dels Materials i Enginyeria Metallurgica, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Avda. Diagonal 647 (ETSEIB), 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Jimenez-Pique, E. [Departament de Ciencia dels Materials i Enginyeria Metallurgica, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Avda. Diagonal 647 (ETSEIB), 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Centre de Recerca en Nanoenginyeria (CRnE), C. Pascual i Vila 15, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Reyes-Gasga, J. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito de la Investigacion Cientifica s/n, Cd Universitaria, 04510 Mexico DF (Mexico); Anglada, M. [Departament de Ciencia dels Materials i Enginyeria Metallurgica, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Avda. Diagonal 647 (ETSEIB), 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Centre de Recerca en Nanoenginyeria (CRnE), C. Pascual i Vila 15, 08028 Barcelona (Spain)

    2011-10-15

    In the present work we studied the changes in the microstructure and mechanical properties that are produced by grinding of tetragonal polycrystalline zirconia doped with 3 mol.% yttria (3Y-TZP). It is shown that the X-ray diffraction spectrum of ground 3Y-TZP presents asymmetric broadening of the (1 1 1) tetragonal peak, reversal of the intensity of the (0 0 2) and (2 0 0) tetragonal peaks, and tetragonal to monoclinic (t-m) phase transformation. The in-depth monoclinic phase distribution obtained by micro-Raman spectroscopy has been related with the compression residual stresses profile generated during grinding. These compressive residual stresses are also responsible for the observed increase in mechanical properties (strength and apparent fracture toughness). The subsurface microstructure of ground specimens has been analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and three different regions were found from the interior to the surface: (1) a t-m phase transformation zone in the deeper region, (2) a plastically deformed zone, with dynamically recovered dislocation cells, and (3) a surface recrystallized zone with grains of {approx}20 nm in diameter, resulting from in situ recrystallization. In addition, microcracking is concentrated on the sides of the grinding grooves, corresponding to the zone of maximum tensile stress during contact with an abrasive particle.

  16. Self-regulated transport in photonic crystals with phase-changing defects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Roney; Ellis, Fred M.; Vitebskiy, Ilya; Kottos, Tsampikos

    2018-01-01

    Phase-changing materials (PCMs) are widely used for optical data recording, sensing, all-optical switching, and optical limiting. Our focus here is on the case when the change in transmission characteristics of the optical material is caused by the input light itself. Specifically, the light-induced heating triggers the phase transition in the PCM. In this paper, using a numerical example, we demonstrate that the incorporation of the PCM in a photonic structure can lead to a dramatic modification of the effects of light-induced phase transition, as compared to a stand-alone sample of the same PCM. Our focus is on short pulses. We discuss some possible applications of such phase-changing photonic structures for optical sensing and limiting.

  17. Performance enhancement of hermetic compressor using phase change materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahmoud, I. M.; Rady, M. A.; Huzayyin, A. S.

    2015-08-01

    The present study is motivated by the need for the research of simple measures for increasing energy efficiency of hermetic compressor. The measure is the application of phase change materials for performance enhancement. The first experimental study should be guide for choice of PCM. It has been performed to investigate the effects of thermostat setting temperature on the performance of hermetic compressor. The effects of thermostat setting temperature with and without load on power consumption have been analyzed. Performance enhancement using phase change materials (PCMs) has been studied by employing a phase change material Rubitherm-42 (RT-42) on the top surface of compressor. Choice of PCM material is based on basic compressor performance measured in the first part of the present study. Experiments have been carried out for different load values and different quantities of PCM. The quantity and phase change characteristic of PCM are essential parameters that determine the percentage of performance enhancement in term of energy consumption. Reduction of energy consumption of about 10% has been achieved in the present study by using PCM. The present study shows that how to reduce the electrical power consumption to enhance compressor heat dissipation method to improve efficiency.

  18. Phase I remedial action of properties associated with the former Middlesex Sampling Plant Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-04-01

    The Phase I Remedial Action Work on properties associated with the Middlesex Sampling Plant Site in Middlesex, New Jersey was completed during 1980. In addition to the two properties included in the original scope of work, three other properties were decontaminated. In the playground across the street from the Rectory, contaminated soil was discovered and subsequently removed. Later, at the request of the DOE, the Kays and Rosamilia properties were decontaminated. Decontamination of the properties included in Phase I has, in the judgment of NLO, been successfully achieved, as evidenced by the data presented in this and in the referenced Eberline Instrument Corporation reports. Final certification of the sites for unrestricted use will be by ASEP/OOS based upon all available data, of which this report is a part. Work completed at Middlesex, together with the lessons learned during the execution of the entire project, is indicative that future decontamination assignments can be accomplished with mutual benefits for the DOE, as well as the local citizens. Restoration of the Rectory and the William Street property exemplifies the excellence of work performed by the Remedial Action Subcontractors and is further evidence of the success of the Phase I work. A summary of the Phase I costs are tabulated

  19. 41 CFR 109-1.5205 - Personal property management system changes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Personal property management system changes. 109-1.5205 Section 109-1.5205 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal... Personal property management system changes. Any proposed significant change to a designated contractor's...

  20. Characterization of Mechanical Properties of Tissue Scaffolds by Phase Contrast Imaging and Finite Element Modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bawolin, Nahshon K; Dolovich, Allan T; Chen, Daniel X B; Zhang, Chris W J

    2015-08-01

    In tissue engineering, the cell and scaffold approach has shown promise as a treatment to regenerate diseased and/or damaged tissue. In this treatment, an artificial construct (scaffold) is seeded with cells, which organize and proliferate into new tissue. The scaffold itself biodegrades with time, leaving behind only newly formed tissue. The degradation qualities of the scaffold are critical during the treatment period, since the change in the mechanical properties of the scaffold with time can influence cell behavior. To observe in time the scaffold's mechanical properties, a straightforward method is to deform the scaffold and then characterize scaffold deflection accordingly. However, experimentally observing the scaffold deflection is challenging. This paper presents a novel study on characterization of mechanical properties of scaffolds by phase contrast imaging and finite element modeling, which specifically includes scaffold fabrication, scaffold imaging, image analysis, and finite elements (FEs) modeling of the scaffold mechanical properties. The innovation of the work rests on the use of in-line phase contrast X-ray imaging at 20 KeV to characterize tissue scaffold deformation caused by ultrasound radiation forces and the use of the Fourier transform to identify movement. Once deformation has been determined experimentally, it is then compared with the predictions given by the forward solution of a finite element model. A consideration of the number of separate loading conditions necessary to uniquely identify the material properties of transversely isotropic and fully orthotropic scaffolds is also presented, along with the use of an FE as a form of regularization.

  1. Thermodynamics phase changes of nanopore fluids

    KAUST Repository

    Islam, Akand W.

    2015-07-01

    The van der Waals (vdW) equation (Eq.) is modified to describe thermodynamic of phase behavior of fluids confined in nanopore. Our aim is to compute pressures exerted by the fluid molecules and to investigate how they change due to pore proximity by assuming the pore wall is inert. No additional scaling of model parameters is imposed and original volume and energy parameters are used in the calculations. Our results clearly show the phase changes due to confinement. The critical shifts of temperatures and pressures are in good agreement compared to the laboratory data and molecular simulation. Peng-Robinson (PR) equation-of-state (EOS) has resulted in different effect than the vdW. This work delivers insights into the nature of fluid behavior in extremely low-permeability nanoporous media, especially in the tight shale reservoirs, below the critical temperatures. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.

  2. Thermodynamics phase changes of nanopore fluids

    KAUST Repository

    Islam, Akand W.; Patzek, Tadeusz; Sun, Alexander Y.

    2015-01-01

    The van der Waals (vdW) equation (Eq.) is modified to describe thermodynamic of phase behavior of fluids confined in nanopore. Our aim is to compute pressures exerted by the fluid molecules and to investigate how they change due to pore proximity by assuming the pore wall is inert. No additional scaling of model parameters is imposed and original volume and energy parameters are used in the calculations. Our results clearly show the phase changes due to confinement. The critical shifts of temperatures and pressures are in good agreement compared to the laboratory data and molecular simulation. Peng-Robinson (PR) equation-of-state (EOS) has resulted in different effect than the vdW. This work delivers insights into the nature of fluid behavior in extremely low-permeability nanoporous media, especially in the tight shale reservoirs, below the critical temperatures. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.

  3. Synergistic effect of iron and intumescent flame retardant on shape-stabilized phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Ping; Hu Yuan; Song Lei; Lu Hongdian; Wang Jian; Liu Qingqing

    2009-01-01

    This paper deals with the preparation of paraffin/high density polyethylene (HDPE)/intumescent flame retardant (IFR)/iron as flame retardant shape-stabilized phase change material (FSPCM). The influences of iron for FSPCM on morphology, flammability property, latent heat and thermal conductive property were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cone calorimeter, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and hot disk thermal constants analyser. It was found that iron could be well dispersed into the composite formed by HDPE and paraffin; the flame retardant efficiency of IFR could be improved by adding iron; the thermal conductivity of FSPCM could be increased due to the high thermal conductivity of iron. At the same time, the possible flame retardant mechanism for paraffin/HDPE/IFR with iron as a FSPCM was proposed

  4. Property changes in graphite irradiated at changing irradiation temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Price, R.J.; Haag, G.

    1979-07-01

    Design data for irradiated graphite are usually presented as families of isothermal curves showing the change in physical property as a function of fast neutron fluence. In this report, procedures for combining isothermal curves to predict behavior under changing irradiation temperatures are compared with experimental data on irradiation-induced changes in dimensions, Young's modulus, thermal conductivity, and thermal expansivity. The suggested procedure fits the data quite well and is physically realistic

  5. Using adversary text to detect adversary phase changes.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Speed, Ann Elizabeth; Doser, Adele Beatrice; Warrender, Christina E.

    2009-05-01

    The purpose of this work was to help develop a research roadmap and small proof ofconcept for addressing key problems and gaps from the perspective of using text analysis methods as a primary tool for detecting when a group is undergoing a phase change. Self- rganizing map (SOM) techniques were used to analyze text data obtained from the tworld-wide web. Statistical studies indicate that it may be possible to predict phase changes, as well as detect whether or not an example of writing can be attributed to a group of interest.

  6. In silico optimization of phase-change materials for digital memories: a survey of first-row transition-metal dopants for Ge2Sb2Te5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skelton, J M; Elliott, S R

    2013-01-01

    Phase-change materials are the alloys at the heart of an emerging class of next-generation, non-volatile digital memory technologies. However, the widely studied Ge–Sb–Te system possesses several undesirable properties, and enhancing its properties, e.g. by doping, is an area of active research. Various first-row transition-metal dopants have been shown to impart useful property enhancements, but a systematic study of the entire period has yet to be undertaken, and little has been done to investigate their interaction with the host material at the atomic level. We have carried out first-principles computer simulations of the complete phase-change cycle in Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 doped with each of the ten first-row transition metals. In this article, we present a comprehensive survey of the electronic, magnetic and optical properties of these doped materials. We discuss in detail their atomic-level structure, and relate the microscopic behaviours of the dopant atoms to their influence on the Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 host. By considering an entire family of similar materials, we identify trends and patterns which might be used to predict suitable dopants for optimizing materials for specific phase-change applications. The computational method employed here is general, and this materials-discovery approach could be applied in the future to study other families of potential dopants for such materials. (paper)

  7. Shear-induced phase changes in mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romig, K.D.; Hanley, H.J.M.

    1986-01-01

    A thermodynamic theory to account for the behavior of liquid mixtures exposed to a shear is developed. One consequence of the theory is that shear-induced phase changes are predicted. The theory is based on a thermodynamics that includes specifically the shear rate in the formalism and is applied to mixtures by a straightforward modification of the corresponding states, conformalsolution approach. The approach is general but is used here for a mixture of Lennard-Jones particles with a Lennard-Jones equation of state as a reference fluid. The results are discussed in the context of the Scott and Van Konynenberg phase classification. It is shown that the influence of a shear does affect substantially the type of the phase behavior. Results from the model mixture are equated loosely with those from real polymeric liquids

  8. Phase formation and magnetic properties of YFe12-xNbx (x=0.70-0.90) compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuquan, B.; Wang, J.L.; Tegus, O.; Dagula, W.; Tang, N.; Yang, F.M.; Wu, G.H.; Brueck, E.; Boer, F.R. de; Buschow, K.H.J.

    2005-01-01

    The phase formation and the magnetic properties of YFe 12-x Nb x (x=0.70-0.90) compounds have been investigated by means of X-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements. The powder X-ray diffraction patterns show that all compounds investigated crystallize single phase in the tetragonal ThMn 12 -type of structure. The lattice parameters and the unit-cell volume increase slightly with increasing Nb content, but the Curie temperature does not change. The X-ray-diffraction patterns of aligned powders of the samples show that all the compounds investigated have uniaxial anisotropy at room temperature. At 1.5K, the spontaneous magnetization, the anisotropy field and the anisotropy constant K 1 decrease with increasing Nb content

  9. Simulation of phase change drywalls in a passive solar building

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Darkwa, K.; O' Callaghan, P.W. [School of the Built Environment, The Applied Energy and Environmental Engineering Group, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BU (United Kingdom)

    2006-06-15

    Integration of phase change materials (PCMs) into building fabrics is considered to be one of the potential and effective ways of minimizing energy consumption and CO{sub 2} emissions in the building sector. In order to assess the thermal effectiveness of this concept, composite PCM drywall samples (i.e. randomly-mixed and laminated PCM drywalls) have been evaluated in a model passive solar building. For a broader assessment, effects of three phase change zones (narrow, intermediate and wide) of the PCM sample were considered. The results showed that the laminated PCM sample with a narrow phase change zone was capable of increasing the minimum room temperature by about 17% more than the randomly-mixed type. Even though there was some display of non-isothermal phase change process, the laminated system proved to be thermally more effective in terms of evolution and utilization of latent heat. Further heat transfer enhancement process is however required towards the development of the laminated system. [Author].

  10. The influence of interfacial properties on two-phase liquid flow of organic contaminants in groundwater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayes, K.F.; Demond, A.H.

    1991-09-01

    The purpose of this project is to investigate how changes in interfacial chemical properties affect two-phase transport relationships. Specifically, the objective is to develop a quantitative means that will enable the prediction of changes in the capillary pressure-saturation relationship, a fundamental constitutive relationship in multiphase flow, from changes in interfacial properties, such as adsorption and electrophoretic mobility, through a knowledge of their effect on wettability. The information presented here summarizes the progress we have made in the past eight months of the second project period. Working with a system composed of air-water-silica-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), we have obtained a relationship between degree of adsorption and the surface charge of silica (as measured by electrophoretic mobility), and the drainage and imbibition capillary pressure relationships of system. The bulk of this report describes the completed set of measurements for the air-water-silica-CTAB system at pH 6. We are currently working on a comparable set of measurements for the xylene-water-silica-CTAB system at pH 6. Described here are the interfacial tension, contact angle and preliminary drainage capillary pressure measurements. Our work to date shows a dependence of surface properties on pH. Consequently, in the coming year, we will also complete a set of measurements at another pH value to show the effect of pH on capillary pressure relationships

  11. Effects of Phytoplankton Growth Phase on the Formation and Properties of Marine Snow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montgomery, Q. W.; Proctor, K. W.; Prairie, J. C.

    2016-02-01

    Marine snow aggregates often dominate carbon export from the upper mixed layer to the deep ocean. Thus, understanding the formation and the properties of these aggregates is essential to the study of the biological pump. Aggregate formation is determined by both the encounter rate and the stickiness of the particles that they are composed of. Stickiness of phytoplankton has been linked to production of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP), which has been previously shown to vary in concentration throughout different parts of the phytoplankton growth cycle. The objective of this study is to determine the effects of the growth phase of the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii to both TEP production and the properties of the resulting aggregates produced. Cultures of T. weissflogii were stopped at separate phases of the phytoplankton growth curve and incubated in rotating cylindrical tanks to form aggregates. Aggregate properties such as size, density, and porosity were measured at the end of each period of roller incubation. Preliminary results describe little variation in the size of the aggregates formed from different parts of the growth phase, but show a significant effect of growth phase on aggregate density. Density is an important factor in the settling of marine aggregates. Therefore, variations in aggregate density during different growth phases may have large implications for the efficiency of the biological pump during different stages of a phytoplankton bloom. Further examination will be performed on the potential effects of TEP abundance on the properties of the aggregates formed at separate growth phases and the resulting implications for carbon flux.

  12. Structural phase transition and elastic properties of samarium monopnictides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pagare, Gitanjali; Chouhan, Sunil Singh; Soni, Pooja; Sanyal, Sankar P.

    2011-01-01

    In recent years the monopnictides and monochalcogenides of the rare-earth elements with rocksalt structure (B 1 ) have aroused intensive interest due to the presence of strongly correlated f electrons in them. Under pressure, the nature of f-electrons of these compounds can be changed from localized to itinerant leading to significant changes in physical and chemical properties. These unusual structural, electronic, and high-pressure properties make them candidates for advanced industrial applications. For these applications they provide unique physical properties which cannot be achieved with other materials

  13. Transient Structures and Possible Limits of Data Recording in Phase-Change Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Jianbo; Vanacore, Giovanni M; Yang, Zhe; Miao, Xiangshui; Zewail, Ahmed H

    2015-07-28

    Phase-change materials (PCMs) represent the leading candidates for universal data storage devices, which exploit the large difference in the physical properties of their transitional lattice structures. On a nanoscale, it is fundamental to determine their performance, which is ultimately controlled by the speed limit of transformation among the different structures involved. Here, we report observation with atomic-scale resolution of transient structures of nanofilms of crystalline germanium telluride, a prototypical PCM, using ultrafast electron crystallography. A nonthermal transformation from the initial rhombohedral phase to the cubic structure was found to occur in 12 ps. On a much longer time scale, hundreds of picoseconds, equilibrium heating of the nanofilm is reached, driving the system toward amorphization, provided that high excitation energy is invoked. These results elucidate the elementary steps defining the structural pathway in the transformation of crystalline-to-amorphous phase transitions and describe the essential atomic motions involved when driven by an ultrafast excitation. The establishment of the time scales of the different transient structures, as reported here, permits determination of the possible limit of performance, which is crucial for high-speed recording applications of PCMs.

  14. Cr-doped Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} for ultra-long data retention phase change memory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Qing; Xia, Yangyang; Zheng, Yonghui; Zhang, Qi [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Micro-system and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Shanghai Key Laboratory of Nanofabrication Technology for Memory, Shanghai Institute of Micro-system and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Liu, Bo, E-mail: liubo@mail.sim.ac.cn; Song, Sannian; Cheng, Yan; Song, Zhitang; Feng, Songlin [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Micro-system and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Shanghai Key Laboratory of Nanofabrication Technology for Memory, Shanghai Institute of Micro-system and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Huo, Ruru [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Micro-system and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Shanghai Key Laboratory of Nanofabrication Technology for Memory, Shanghai Institute of Micro-system and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031 (China)

    2015-11-30

    Phase change memory is regarded as one of the most promising candidates for the next-generation non-volatile memory. Its storage medium, phase change material, has attracted continuous exploration. Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} (GST) is the most popular phase change material, but its thermal stability needs to be improved when used in some fields at high temperature (more than 120 °C). In this paper, we doped Cr atoms into GST and obtained Cr{sub 10}(Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5}){sub 90} (labeled as Cr-GST) with high thermal stability. For Cr-GST film, the sheet resistance ratio between amorphous and crystalline states is high up to 3 orders of magnitude. The crystalline Cr-GST film inherits the phase structure of GST, with metastable face-centered cubic phase and/or stable hexagonal phase. The doped Cr atoms not only bond with other atoms but also help to improve the anti-oxidation property of Cr-GST. As for the amorphous thermal stability, the calculated temperature for 10-year-data-retention of Cr-GST film, based on the Arrhenius equation, is about 180 °C. The threshold current and threshold voltage of a cell based on Cr-GST are about 6 μA and 2.7 V. The cell could be operated by suitable voltages for more than 40 000 cycles. Thus, Cr-GST is proved to be a promising phase change material with ultra-long data retention.

  15. Preparation of nanoencapsulated phase change material as latent functionally thermal fluid

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fang Yutang; Kuang Shengyan; Gao Xuenong; Zhang Zhengguo, E-mail: ppytfang@scut.edu.c [Key Laboratory of Enhanced Heat Transfer and Energy Conservation, Ministry of Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China)

    2009-02-07

    Nanoencapsulated phase change material with polystyrene as the shell and n-octadecane as the core was synthesized using the ultrasonic technique and miniemulsion in situ polymerization. The influences of polymerization factors, including initiator, chain transfer agent (CTA), surfactant, n-octadecane/styrene ratio and hydrophilic co-monomer, on the morphology and thermophysical properties of nanocapsules were systematically investigated. The optimized polymerization conditions were 0.5 wt% of initiator (2,2-azobisisobutyronitrile), 0.4 wt% of CTA (n-dodecyl mercaptan), 2% of composite surfactants which were composed of sodium dodecyl sulfate and poly-(ethylene glycol) monooctylphenyl ether by 1 : 1 in weight ratio, 1 wt% of hydrophilic co-monomer butyl acrylate or 3 wt% of methyl methacrylate and 1 : 1 n-octadecane to styrene in weight ratio. Under these conditions, the z-average size of prepared nanocapsules was 124 nm and the phase change enthalpy was 124.4 kJ kg{sup -1}. The heat capacity was as high as 11.61 kJ kg{sup -1} K{sup -1} at the latex concentration of 20.6 wt%. Thermal stability and viscosity testing show that this fluid had excellent resistance to thermal shock (after 100 cycles, no liquid Oct was observed during heating) and low viscosity (only 3.61 mPa s at the latex concentration of 20.6 wt%), which seems to be promising as a latent functionally thermal fluid.

  16. Melting with convection and radiation in a participating phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miranda Fuentes, Johann; Johannes, Kévyn; Kuznik, Frédéric; Cosnier, Matthieu; Virgone, Joseph

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Modelling of the phase change with natural convection and radiation. ► Novel LBM MRT with phase change and energy equation. ► Diffuse radiation increases the heat transfer but not global behavior of phase change. - Abstract: This article presents a novel model to simulate melting of a phase change material, with natural convection and radiation. For the phase change problem, the enthalpy formulation is used. Energy equation is solved by finite differences, whereas fluid flow equations are solved by the lattice Boltzmann method. For radiation intensity, the radiative transfer equation is solved by the discrete ordinates method, and then radiation flux is added into the energy equation. The model is first validated with literature results. Then, a glass brick wall filled with a fatty acid is simulated to evaluate the heat transfer processes. The results show that (1) natural convection plays an important role in the transitional behaviour of the global heat transfer process and (2) the long wave radiation has few impacts on the melting process

  17. Preparation and characterization of novel anion phase change heat storage materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Wei; Lil, Qingshan; Sun, Jing; Di, Youbo; Zhao, Zhou; Yu, Wei'an; Qu, Yuan; Jiao, TiFeng; Wang, Guowei; Xing, Guangzhong

    2013-10-01

    In this paper, polyurethane phase change material was successfully prepared with TDI with BDO for hard segments and PEG for soft segments. Moreover, based on this the solid-solid phase change material, A-PCM1030 which can release anions was prepared with the successful addition of anion additives A1030 for the first time. Then the test of the above material was conducted utilizing FT-IR, DSC, TEM, WAXD and Air Ion Detector. The Results indicated that the polyurethane phase change material possesses excellent thermal stability since there was no appearance of liquid leakage and phase separation after 50 times warming-cooling thermal cycles. It also presented reversibility on absorbing and releasing heat. In addition, adding a little A1030 can increase the thermal stability and reduce phase transition temperatures, as well as reduce the undercooling of the polyurethane phase change material. In addition, the anion test results suggested that the supreme amount of anion released by A-PCM1030 could reach 2510 anions/cm3 under dynamic conditions, which is beneficial for human health.

  18. Phase controlled synthesis and cathodoluminescence properties of ZnS nanobelts synthesized by PVD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Changqing; Zhu, Kexin; Peterson, George; Zhang, Zhihong; Jian, Zengyun; Wei, Yongxing; Zheng, Deshan

    2018-01-01

    Zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanobelts were synthesized via physical vapor deposition to explore the electronic properties of optoelectronic nano-devices. It was determined that the mass ratio of wurtzite (WZ) phase to zincblende (ZB) phase and the preferential orientation (100) are related to the carrier-gas flow rate. The high concentration of planar defects within the phase boundary enhances phase transition. Cathodoluminescence measurements show a red shift of the 337 nm band-gap emission due to stacking and twin faults. We find a direct correlation between the magnitude of the red shift and the mass ratio of ZB phase. With an increase in the ZB phase, there is an increase in the concentration of stacking and twin faults introduced by the phase transformation, as indicated by an increasing red shift in the data. The absorption peaks at 666 and 719 nm were found by UV-vis absorption spectrum, which is attributed to surface defects. This work would help to better understand the important roles of planar defects in the phase transition and also provide us with a feasible route to control phase ratio and cathodoluminescence properties of ZnS nanobelts and other II-VI semiconductor nanostructures.

  19. Impact of column and stationary phase properties on the productivity in chiral preparative LC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forssén, Patrik; Fornstedt, Torgny

    2018-03-01

    By generating 1500 random chiral separation systems, assuming two-site Langmuir interactions, we investigated numerically how the maximal productivity (P R,max ) was affected by changes in stationary phase adsorption properties. The relative change in P R,max , when one adsorption property changed 10%, was determined for each system and for each studied parameter the corresponding productivity change distribution of the systems was analyzed. We could conclude that there is no reason to have columns with more than 500 theoretical plates and larger selectivity than 3. More specifically, we found that changes in selectivity have a major impact on P R,max if it is below ∼2 and, interestingly, increasing selectivity when it is above ∼3 decreases P R,max . Increase in relative saturation capacity will have a major impact on P R,max if it is below ∼40%, but only modest above this percent. Increasing total monolayer saturation capacity, or decreasing the first eluting enantiomer's retention factor, will have a modest effect on P R,max and increased efficiency will have almost no effect at all on P R,max unless it is below ∼500 theoretical plates. Finally, we showed that chiral columns with superior analytic performance might have inferior preparative performance, or vice versa. It is, therefore, not possible to assess columns based on their analytical performance alone. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Low-Cost Bio-Based Phase Change Materials as an Energy Storage Medium in Building Envelopes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Biswas, Kaushik [ORNL; Abhari, Mr. Ramin [Renewable Energy Group, Inc.; Shukla, Dr. Nitin [Fraunhofer USA, Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE), Boston; Kosny, Dr. Jan [Fraunhofer USA, Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE), Boston

    2015-01-01

    A promising approach to increasing the energy efficiency of buildings is the implementation of phase change material (PCM) in building envelope systems. Several studies have reported the energy saving potential of PCM in building envelopes. However, wide application of PCMs in building applications has been inhibited, in part, by their high cost. This article describes a novel paraffin product made of naturally occurring fatty acids/glycerides trapped into high density polyethylene (HDPE) pellets and its performance in a building envelope application, with the ultimate goal of commercializing a low-cost PCM platform. The low-cost PCM pellets were mixed with cellulose insulation, installed in external walls and field-tested under natural weatherization conditions for a period of several months. In addition, several PCM samples and PCM-cellulose samples were prepared under controlled conditions for laboratory-scale testing. The laboratory tests were performed to determine the phase change properties of PCM-enhanced cellulose insulation both at microscopic and macroscopic levels. This article presents the data and analysis from the exterior test wall and the laboratory-scale test data. PCM behavior is influenced by the weather and interior conditions, PCM phase change temperature and PCM distribution within the wall cavity, among other factors. Under optimal conditions, the field data showed up to 20% reduction in weekly heat transfer through an external wall due to the PCM compared to cellulose-only insulation.

  1. Phase change material thermal storage for biofuel preheating in micro trigeneration application: A numerical study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Dawei; Chen, Junlong; Roskilly, Anthony P.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Engine exhaust heat driven phase change material thermal storage. • Fuel preheating for direct use of straight plant oil on diesel engine. • CFD aided design of the phase change material thermal storage. • Melting and solidification model considering natural convection. - Abstract: A biofuel micro trigeneration prototype has been developed to utilise local energy crop oils as fuel in rural areas and developing countries. Straight plant oils (SPOs) only leave behind very little carbon footprint during its simply production process compared to commercial biodiesels in refineries, but the high viscosity of SPOs causes difficulties at engine cold starts, which further results in poor fuel atomisation, compromised engine performance and fast engine deterioration. In this study, a phase change material (PCM) thermal storage is designed to recover and store engine exhaust heat to preheat SPOs at cold starts. High temperature commercial paraffin is selected as the PCM to meet the optimal preheating temperature range of 70–90 °C, in terms of the SPO property study. A numerical model of the PCM thermal storage is developed and validated by references. The PCM melting and solidification processes with the consideration of natural convection in liquid zone are simulated in ANSYS-FLUENT to verify the feasibility of the PCM thermal storage as a part of the self-contained biofuel micro trigeneration prototype

  2. Unique Reversible Crystal-to-Crystal Phase Transition – Structural and Functional Properties of Fused Ladder Thienoarenes

    KAUST Repository

    Abe, Yuichiro

    2017-08-15

    Donor-acceptor type molecules based on fused ladder thienoarenes, indacenodithiophene (IDT) and dithienocyclopenta-thienothiophene (DTCTT), coupled with benzothiadiazole, are prepared and their solid-state structures are investigated. They display a rich variety of solid phases ranging from amorphous glass states to crystalline states, upon changes in the central aromatic core and side group structures. Most notably, the DTCTT-based derivatives showed reversible crystal-to-crystal phase transitions in heating and cooling cycles. Unlike what has been seen in π−conjugated molecules variable temperature XRD revealed that structural change occurs continuously during the transition. A columnar self-assembled structure with slip-stacked π−π interaction is proposed to be involved in the solid-state. This research provides the evidence of unique structural behavior of the DTCTT-based molecules through the detailed structural analysis. This unique structural transition paves the way for these materials to have self-healing of crystal defects, leading to improved optoelectronic properties.

  3. Unique Reversible Crystal-to-Crystal Phase Transition – Structural and Functional Properties of Fused Ladder Thienoarenes

    KAUST Repository

    Abe, Yuichiro; Savikhin, Victoria; Yin, Jun; Grimsdale, Andrew C.; Soci, Cesare; Toney, Michael F.; Lam, Yeng Ming

    2017-01-01

    Donor-acceptor type molecules based on fused ladder thienoarenes, indacenodithiophene (IDT) and dithienocyclopenta-thienothiophene (DTCTT), coupled with benzothiadiazole, are prepared and their solid-state structures are investigated. They display a rich variety of solid phases ranging from amorphous glass states to crystalline states, upon changes in the central aromatic core and side group structures. Most notably, the DTCTT-based derivatives showed reversible crystal-to-crystal phase transitions in heating and cooling cycles. Unlike what has been seen in π−conjugated molecules variable temperature XRD revealed that structural change occurs continuously during the transition. A columnar self-assembled structure with slip-stacked π−π interaction is proposed to be involved in the solid-state. This research provides the evidence of unique structural behavior of the DTCTT-based molecules through the detailed structural analysis. This unique structural transition paves the way for these materials to have self-healing of crystal defects, leading to improved optoelectronic properties.

  4. Phase transition and mechanical properties of tungsten nanomaterials from molecular dynamic simulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, L.; Fan, J. L.; Gong, H. R., E-mail: gonghr@csu.edu.cn [Central South University, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy (China)

    2017-03-15

    Molecular dynamic simulation is used to systematically find out the effects of the size and shape of nanoparticles on phase transition and mechanical properties of W nanomaterials. It is revealed that the body-centered cubic (BCC) to face-centered cubic (FCC) phase transition could only happen in cubic nanoparticles of W, instead of the shapes of sphere, octahedron, and rhombic dodecahedron, and that the critical number to trigger the phase transition is 5374 atoms. Simulation also shows that the FCC nanocrystalline W should be prevented due to its much lower tensile strength than its BCC counterpart and that the octahedral and rhombic dodecahedral nanoparticles of W, rather than the cubic nanoparticles, should be preferred in terms of phase transition and mechanical properties. The derived results are discussed extensively through comparing with available observations in the literature to provide a deep understanding of W nanomaterials.

  5. Thermal characteristics of shape-stabilized phase change material wallboard with periodical outside temperature waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Guobing; Yang, Yongping; Wang, Xin; Cheng, Jinming

    2010-01-01

    Thermal characteristics of shape-stabilized phase change material (SSPCM) wallboard with sinusoidal temperature wave on the outer surface were investigated numerically and compared with traditional building materials such as brick, foam concrete and expanded polystyrene (EPS). One-dimensional enthalpy equation under convective boundary conditions was solved using fully implicit finite-difference scheme. The simulation results showed that the SSPCM wallboard presents distinct characteristics from other ordinary building materials. Phase transition keeping time of inner surface and decrement factor were applied to analyze the effects of PCM thermophysical properties (melting temperature, heat of fusion, phase transition zone and thermal conductivity), inner surface convective heat transfer coefficient and thickness of SSPCM wallboard. It was found that melting temperature is one important factor which influences both the phase transition keeping time and the decrement factor; for a certain outside temperature wave, there exist critical values of latent heat of fusion and thickness of SSPCM above which the phase transition keeping time or the decrement factor are scarcely influenced; thermal conductivity of PCM and inner surface convective coefficient have little effect on the phase transition keeping time but significantly influence the decrement factor; and the phase transition zone leads to small fluctuations of the original flat segment of inner surface temperature line. The results aim to be useful for the selection of SSPCMs and their applications in passive solar buildings.

  6. Heat transfer characteristics of thermal energy storage for PCM (phase change material) melting in horizontal tube: Numerical and experimental investigations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aadmi, Moussa; Karkri, Mustapha; El Hammouti, Mimoun

    2015-01-01

    This paper focuses on the experimental and numerical study of the storage and release of thermal heat during melting and solidification of PCM (phase change material). Heat transfer enhancement techniques such as the use of conductors like graphite and metal tubes have been proven to be effective. The material used for thermal energy storage systems is a composite based on epoxy resin loaded with metal hollow tubes filled with paraffin wax. Differential Scanning Calorimetry has been used for measurement of melting enthalpy and determination of heat capacity. The thermophysical properties of the prepared composite phase change material have been characterized using a new transient hot plate apparatus. The results have shown that most important thermal properties of these composites at the solid and liquid states are the ‘‘apparent’’ thermal conductivity, the heat storage capacity and the latent heat of fusion. These experimental results have been simulated using numerical Comsol ® Multiphysics 4.3 based models with success. The results of the experimental investigation are compared favorably with the numerical results and thus serve to validate the numerical approach. - Highlights: • Phase change materials based on cylindrical used as new energy storage system. • Thermophysical properties and the melting process of composites were investigated. • All experimental results have been simulated using Comsol ® Multiphysiques. • The ability to store and release the thermal energy were investigated. • Good improvement in the thermal conductivity of composites

  7. Radiation and phase change of lithium fluoride in an annulus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lund, Kurt O.

    1993-01-01

    A one-dimensional thermal model is developed to evaluate the effect of radiation on the phase change of lithium-fluoride (LiF) in an annular canister under gravitational and microgravitational conditions. Specified heat flux at the outer wall of the canister models focused solar flux; adiabatic and convective conditions are considered for the inner wall. A two-band radiation model is used for the combined-mode heat transfer within the canister, and LiF optical properties relate metal surface properties in vacuum to those in LiF. For axial gravitational conditions, the liquid LiF remains in contact with the two bounding walls, whereas a void gap is used at the outer wall to model possible microgravitational conditions. For the adiabatic cases, exact integrals are obtained for the time required for complete melting of the LiF. Melting was found to occur primarily from the outer wall in the 1-g model, whereas it occurred primarily from the inner wall in the mu-g model. For the convective cases, partially melted steady-state conditions and fully melted conditions are determined to depend on the source flux level, with radiation extending the melting times.

  8. Mass transport in Ti0.5Sb2Te3 phase-change nanobridge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ji, Xinglong; Wu, Liangcai; Lv, Shilong; Rao, Feng; Zhu, Min; Song, Zhitang; Zhou, Xilin; Feng, Songlin

    2014-01-01

    Investigation of atomic migration behavior in nanoscale phase-change material is very valuable for phase-change memory applications. In this work, Ti 0.5 Sb 2 Te 3 -based phase-change nanobridges were fabricated and mass transport by atomic migration was studied. A 3-D finite-element simulation on the electrothermal field was introduced to describe the electrothermal environment in the phase-change region. During the nanosecond operation, an obvious compositional distribution resulting from atomic migration was observed in the Ti 0.5 Sb 2 Te 3 phase-change nanobridge. Based on the mass continuity equation, a physical model for mass transport is proposed to illustrate that the density variation during the amorphous-to-crystalline structural transformation is the main reason for the atomic migration in nanoscale Ti 0.5 Sb 2 Te 3 phase-change material

  9. Characterization of phase change materials for thermal control of photovoltaics using Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Temperature History Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasan, A.; McCormack, S.J.; Huang, M.J.; Norton, B.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Five PCM are characterized using tow techniques for PV temperature regulation. • Thermophysical properties of interest are determined and compared with literature. • Determined PCM properties are discussed as criteria for PV temperature regulation. • One PCM identified as potential candidate for PV temperature regulation. - Abstract: Five solid–liquid phase change materials comprising three basic classes, paraffin waxes, salt hydrates and mixtures of fatty acids were thermophysically characterized for thermal regulation applications in photovoltaics. The PCM were investigated using Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Temperature History Method to find their thermophysical properties of interest. The relationship between thermophysical properties of the PCM and their choice as temperature regulators in photovoltaics is discussed in relation to the ambient conditions under which PV systems operate

  10. Material property changes of stainless steels under PWR irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukuya, Koji; Nishioka, Hiromasa; Fujii, Katsuhiko; Kamaya, Masayuki; Miura, Terumitsu; Torimaru, Tadahiko

    2009-01-01

    Structural integrity of core structural materials is one of the key issues for long and safe operation of pressurized water reactors. The stainless steel components are exposed to neutron irradiation and high-temperature water, which cause significant property changes and irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) in some cases. Understanding of irradiation induced material property changes is essential to predict integrity of core components. In the present study, microstructure and microchemistry, mechanical properties, and IASCC behavior were examined in 316 stainless steels irradiated to 1 - 73 dpa in a PWR. Dose-dependent changes of dislocation loops and cavities, grain boundary segregation, tensile properties and fracture mode, deformation behavior, and their interrelation were discussed. Tensile properties and deformation behavior were well coincident with microstructural changes. IASCC susceptibility under slow strain rate tensile tests, IASCC initiation under constant load tests in simulated PWR primary water, and their relationship to material changes were discussed. (author)

  11. A nano-graphite/paraffin phase change material with high thermal conductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Min

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Paraffin and NG formed a nanoscale compound. ► The thermal conductivity increased gradually with the content of NG. ► The thermal conductivity of the material containing 10% NG were 0.9362 W/m K. - Abstract: 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 differential scanning calorimetry. The results indicated that the NG layers were randomly dispersed in the paraffin, and the thermal conductivity increased gradually with the content of NG. Thermal conductivity of the material containing 10% NG were 0.9362 W/m K

  12. The phase transition and elastic and optical properties of polymorphs of CuI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Jiajie; Pandey, Ravindra; Gu Mu

    2012-01-01

    The high-pressure polymorphs of CuI have attracted much attention due to the somewhat contradictory identification of their structures by means of x-ray diffraction measurements and theoretical calculations. In this paper, we report the results of a theoretical investigation of polymorphs of CuI including zinc-blende, rhombohedral, tetragonal, rocksalt and orthorhombic phases. We find that CuI follows the high-pressure transition path from the zinc-blende phase to the orthorhombic phase via the tetragonal phase, and the rhombohedral phase shows mechanical instability under high pressure. The bulk moduli are almost isotropic but the shear moduli show large anisotropy in these polymorphs. A relatively strong hybridization of I p and Cu d states appears to determine the electronic properties of the CuI polymorphs. The zinc-blende and tetragonal CuI are direct gap semiconductors and their optical properties are similar, whereas the orthorhombic CuI is metallic.

  13. Influence of initial thermomechanical treatment on high temperature properties of laves phase strengthened ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Talik, Michal

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this work was to design 17 wt%Cr Laves phase strengthened HiperFer (High performance Ferrite) steels and evaluate their properties. This class of steel is supposed to be used in Advanced Ultra Super Critical power plants. Such cycles exhibit higher efficiency and are environmentally friendly, but improved materials with high resistance to reside/steam oxidation and sufficient creep strength are required. The work focused on the characterization of creep properties of 17Cr2.5W0.5Nb0.25Si heat resistant steel. Small batches of steels with nominal compositions of 17Cr3W0.5Nb0.25Si and 17Cr3W0.9Nb0.25Si were used to analyze the influence of chemical composition on the precipitation behaviour in comparison to 17Cr2.5W0.5Nb0.25Si steel. Creep strength of HiperFer steels is ensured by ne dispersion of thermodynamically stable Laves phase particles, while maintaining high corrosion resistance by a relatively high chromium content. Design of HiperFer steels was accomplished by thermodynamic modeling (Thermocalc) with the main tasks of elimination of the unwelcome brittle (Fe,Cr)-σ phase and maximization of the content of the strengthening C14 Fe_2Nb type Laves phase particles. Long term annealing experiments of all HiperFer steels were performed at 650 C in order to evaluate the role of chemical composition and initial thermo-mechanical treatment state on precipitation behaviour. Laves phase particles formed quickly after few hours and the size of precipitates did not change significantly within 1,000 hours. The observed development of Laves phase particles was compared with thermodynamical calculations (TC-Prisma). The creep properties of 17Cr2.5W0.5Nb0.25Si steel in different initial thermo-mechanical treatment states were tested at 650 C. The influence of different cold rolling procedures, and heat treatments was investigated. Increased cold rolling deformation had a positive effect resulting not only from work hardening, but from the acceleration of Laves

  14. Changes of microstructure and magnetic properties of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets by doping Al-Cu

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ni Junjie; Ma Tianyu; Yan Mi

    2011-01-01

    The microstructural and magnetic properties of Al 100-x Cu x (15at%≤x≤45 at%) doped Nd-Fe-B magnets were studied. The distribution and alloying effects of Cu or Al on the intergranular microstructure were investigated by thermodynamic analysis, differential scanning calorimetery and microscopy techniques. It was observed that when the Cu content of Al 100x Cu x exceeds to 25 at%, the (Pr, Nd)Cu and CuAl 2 phases form in these magnets. The formation of (Pr, Nd)Cu phase depends on the negative formation enthalpy of (Pr, Nd)Cu and the exclusive distribution of Cu in the intergranular regions. The eutectic reaction between (Pr, Nd)Cu phase and (Pr, Nd) occurs at 480 deg. C, which forms the liquid phase that dissolves the (Pr, Nd) 2 Fe 14 B surface irregularities and thus increases the quantities of (Pr, Nd)-rich phase at the grain boundaries. These changes benefit the grain boundary microstructure, especially the distribution of (Pr, Nd)-rich phase, which effectively improves the intrinsic coercivity i H c due to the decreases of exchange coupling between the (Pr, Nd) 2 Fe 14 B grains. - Highlights: → Cu/Al effects on Nd-Fe-B structure depend on their distribution/alloying behaviors. → Cu exclusively distributes in grain boundaries different from Al and has negative mixing heat with Nd. → (Pr,Nd)Cu phase besides CuAl 2 forms in grain boundaries with Cu content increase. → (Pr,Nd)Cu phases optimize microstructure and increase magnetic properties.

  15. Design and Construction of an Automatic Three-Phase Change ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The device can also amplify input voltage as low as 50V a.c to a constant 220V a.c. Furthermore, if no power is sensed, from the three live phases, that is if all the phases are in OFF STATE, the device auto-connect to a power generating plant. Keywords: Power Supply; stabilizer; phase Change-over Switch ...

  16. Smart Crack Control in Concrete through Use of Phase Change Materials (PCMs): A Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Šavija, Branko

    2018-04-24

    Cracks in concrete structures present a threat to their durability. Therefore, numerous research studies have been devoted to reducing concrete cracking. In recent years, a new approach has been proposed for controlling temperature related cracking—utilization of phase change materials (PCMs) in concrete. Through their ability to capture heat, PCMs can offset temperature changes and reduce gradients in concrete structures. Nevertheless, they can also influence concrete properties. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the literature devoted to using PCMs to control temperature related cracking in concrete. First, types of PCMs and ways of incorporation in concrete are discussed. Then, possible uses of PCMs in concrete technology are discussed. Further, the influences of PCMs on concrete properties (fresh, hardened, durability) are discussed in detail. This is followed by a discussion of modelling techniques for PCM-concrete composites and their performance. Finally, a summary and the possible research directions for future work are given. This overview aims to assure the researchers and asset owners of the potential of this maturing technology and bring it one step closer to practical application.

  17. Electron-beam-irradiation-induced crystallization of amorphous solid phase change materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Dong; Wu, Liangcai; Wen, Lin; Ma, Liya; Zhang, Xingyao; Li, Yudong; Guo, Qi; Song, Zhitang

    2018-04-01

    The electron-beam-irradiation-induced crystallization of phase change materials in a nano sized area was studied by in situ transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction. Amorphous phase change materials changed to a polycrystalline state after being irradiated with a 200 kV electron beam for a long time. The results indicate that the crystallization temperature strongly depends on the difference in the heteronuclear bond enthalpy of the phase change materials. The selected area electron diffraction patterns reveal that Ge2Sb2Te5 is a nucleation-dominated material, when Si2Sb2Te3 and Ti0.5Sb2Te3 are growth-dominated materials.

  18. Scandium doping brings speed improvement in Sb2Te alloy for phase change random access memory application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xin; Zheng, Yonghui; Zhu, Min; Ren, Kun; Wang, Yong; Li, Tao; Liu, Guangyu; Guo, Tianqi; Wu, Lei; Liu, Xianqiang; Cheng, Yan; Song, Zhitang

    2018-05-01

    Phase change random access memory (PCRAM) has gained much attention as a candidate for nonvolatile memory application. To develop PCRAM materials with better properties, especially to draw closer to dynamic random access memory (DRAM), the key challenge is to research new high-speed phase change materials. Here, Scandium (Sc) has been found it is helpful to get high-speed and good stability after doping in Sb 2 Te alloy. Sc 0.1 Sb 2 Te based PCRAM cell can achieve reversible switching by applying even 6 ns voltage pulse experimentally. And, Sc doping not only promotes amorphous stability but also improves the endurance ability comparing with pure Sb 2 Te alloy. Moreover, according to DFT calculations, strong Sc-Te bonds lead to the rigidity of Sc centered octahedrons, which may act as crystallization precursors in recrystallization process to boost the set speed.

  19. Phase change in uranium: Discrepancy between experiment and theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akella, J.

    1996-01-01

    Using a diamond-anvil cell (DAC) phase transformation and room temperature Equation of State (EOS) for some actinides and lanthanides were studied to multimegabar (megabar = 100 GPa) pressures. Experimental data are compared with the theoretically predicted crystal structural changes and the pressure-volume relationships. There is a general agreement between theory and experiment for the structural changes in the lighter actinides, however in detail there are some discrepancies still. A generalized trend for the phase transformations in the lanthanides can be seen, which again has broad agreement with theory. We conclude that an accurate and robust theoretical base for predicting the phase transformations in the f-electron metals can be developed by incorporating the DAC data

  20. Impact of vacancy ordering on thermal transport in crystalline phase-change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siegert, K S; Lange, F R L; Sittner, E R; Volker, H; Schlockermann, C; Wuttig, M; Siegrist, T

    2015-01-01

    Controlling thermal transport in solids is of paramount importance for many applications. Often thermal management is crucial for a device's performance, as it affects both reliability and power consumption. A number of intricate concepts have been developed to address this challenge, such as diamond-like coatings to enhance the thermal conductivity or low symmetry complex super-structures to reduce it. Here, a different approach is pursued, where we explore the potential of solids with a high yet controllable degree of disorder. Recently, it has been demonstrated that an unconventionally high degree of structural disorder characterizes a number of crystalline phase-change materials (PCMs). This disorder strongly impacts electronic transport and even leads to disorder induced localization (Anderson localization). This raises the question how thermal transport is affected by such conditions. Here thermal transport in highly disordered crystalline Ge–Sb–Te (GST) based PCMs is investigated. Glass-like thermal properties are observed for several crystalline PCMs, which are attributed to strong scattering by disordered point defects. A systematic study of different compounds along the pseudo-binary line between GeTe and Sb 2 Te 3 reveals that disordered vacancies act as point defects responsible for pronounced phonon scattering. Annealing causes a gradual ordering of the vacancies and leads to a more ‘crystal-like’ thermal conductivity. While both vibrational and electronic degrees of freedom are affected by disorder, the consequences differ for different stoichiometries. This opens up a pathway to tune electrical and thermal transport by controlling the degree of disorder. Materials with tailored transport properties may not only help to improve power efficiency and scaling in upcoming phase-change memories but are also of fundamental interest in the field of thermoelectric materials. (key issues review)

  1. Impact of vacancy ordering on thermal transport in crystalline phase-change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegert, K S; Lange, F R L; Sittner, E R; Volker, H; Schlockermann, C; Siegrist, T; Wuttig, M

    2015-01-01

    Controlling thermal transport in solids is of paramount importance for many applications. Often thermal management is crucial for a device's performance, as it affects both reliability and power consumption. A number of intricate concepts have been developed to address this challenge, such as diamond-like coatings to enhance the thermal conductivity or low symmetry complex super-structures to reduce it. Here, a different approach is pursued, where we explore the potential of solids with a high yet controllable degree of disorder. Recently, it has been demonstrated that an unconventionally high degree of structural disorder characterizes a number of crystalline phase-change materials (PCMs). This disorder strongly impacts electronic transport and even leads to disorder induced localization (Anderson localization). This raises the question how thermal transport is affected by such conditions. Here thermal transport in highly disordered crystalline Ge-Sb-Te (GST) based PCMs is investigated. Glass-like thermal properties are observed for several crystalline PCMs, which are attributed to strong scattering by disordered point defects. A systematic study of different compounds along the pseudo-binary line between GeTe and Sb2Te3 reveals that disordered vacancies act as point defects responsible for pronounced phonon scattering. Annealing causes a gradual ordering of the vacancies and leads to a more 'crystal-like' thermal conductivity. While both vibrational and electronic degrees of freedom are affected by disorder, the consequences differ for different stoichiometries. This opens up a pathway to tune electrical and thermal transport by controlling the degree of disorder. Materials with tailored transport properties may not only help to improve power efficiency and scaling in upcoming phase-change memories but are also of fundamental interest in the field of thermoelectric materials.

  2. A review on phase change energy storage: materials and applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farid, Mohammed M.; Khudhair, Amar M.; Razack, Siddique Ali K.; Al-Hallaj, Said

    2004-01-01

    Latent heat storage is one of the most efficient ways of storing thermal energy. Unlike the sensible heat storage method, the latent heat storage method provides much higher storage density, with a smaller temperature difference between storing and releasing heat. This paper reviews previous work on latent heat storage and provides an insight to recent efforts to develop new classes of phase change materials (PCMs) for use in energy storage. Three aspects have been the focus of this review: PCM materials, encapsulation and applications. There are large numbers of phase change materials that melt and solidify at a wide range of temperatures, making them attractive in a number of applications. Paraffin waxes are cheap and have moderate thermal energy storage density but low thermal conductivity and, hence, require large surface area. Hydrated salts have larger energy storage density and higher thermal conductivity but experience supercooling and phase segregation, and hence, their application requires the use of some nucleating and thickening agents. The main advantages of PCM encapsulation are providing large heat transfer area, reduction of the PCMs reactivity towards the outside environment and controlling the changes in volume of the storage materials as phase change occurs. The different applications in which the phase change method of heat storage can be applied are also reviewed in this paper. The problems associated with the application of PCMs with regards to the material and the methods used to contain them are also discussed

  3. Phase coexistence properties of polarizable Stockmayer fluids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiyohara, K.; Gubbins, K.E.; Panagiotopoulos, A.Z.

    1997-01-01

    We report the phase coexistence properties of polarizable Stockmayer fluids of reduced permanent dipoles |m 0 * |= 1.0 and 2.0 and reduced polarizabilities α * = 0.00, 0.03, and 0.06, calculated by a series of grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations with the histogram reweighting method. In the histogram reweighting method, the distributions of density and energy calculated in Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations are stored in histograms and analyzed to construct the grand canonical partition function of the system. All thermodynamic properties are calculated from the grand partition function. The results are compared with Wertheim close-quote s renormalization perturbation theory. Deviations between theory and simulation results for the coexistence envelope are near 2% for the lower dipole moment and 10% for the higher dipole moment we studied. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

  4. Effects of Y dopant on lattice distortion and electrical properties of In{sub 3}SbTe{sub 2} phase-change material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Minho; Kwon, Sehyun; Ahn, Jinho [Division of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Heechae [Center of Materials Simulation Research, Virtual Lab Inc., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Center for Computational Science, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Seungchul; Lee, Kwang-Ryeol [Center for Computational Science, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yong Tae [Semiconductor Materials and Device Laboratory, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-11-15

    Using a computational high-throughput screening method, 29 doping elements have been investigated for improving the thermal and electrical characteristics of In{sub 3}SbTe{sub 2} (IST) phase-change material. Among the 29 dopants, it is found that Y offers largest distortion in the lattice structure of IST with negative doping formation energy while Y substitutes the In site. The atomic lattice images clearly show that the In site is substituted by Y and the distortion angles of the Y-doped IST (Y-IST) are well matched with the calculated results of density functional theory (DFT). Set/reset speed of the Y-IST phase-change memory is faster than IST and Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} (GST) devices, which is strongly related with the fast and stable phase transition due to the larger lattice distortion. The power consumption of the Y-IST device is also less than a fourth of that of the GST device. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  5. Phase change and heat transfer characteristics of a eutectic mixture of palmitic and stearic acids as PCM in a latent heat storage system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baran, Guelseren; Sari, Ahmet

    2003-01-01

    The phase change and heat transfer characteristics of a eutectic mixture of palmitic and stearic acids as phase change material (PCM) during the melting and solidification processes were determined experimentally in a vertical two concentric pipes energy storage system. This study deals with three important subjects. First is determination of the eutectic composition ratio of the palmitic acid (PA) and stearic acid (SA) binary system and measurement of its thermophysical properties by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Second is establishment of the phase transition characteristics of the mixture, such as the total melting and solidification temperatures and times, the heat transfer modes in the melted and solidified PCM and the effect of Reynolds and Stefan numbers as initial heat transfer fluid (HTF) conditions on the phase transition behaviors. Third is calculation of the heat transfer coefficients between the outside wall of the HTF pipe and the PCM, the heat recovery rates and heat fractions during the phase change processes of the mixture and also discussion of the effect of the inlet HTF parameters on these characteristics. The DSC results showed that the PA-SA binary system in the mixture ratio of 64.2:35.8 wt% forms a eutectic, which melts at 52.3 deg. C and has a latent heat of 181.7 J g -1 , and thus, these properties make it a suitable PCM for passive solar space heating and domestic water heating applications with respect to climate conditions. The experimental results also indicated that the eutectic mixture of PA-SA encapsulated in the annulus of concentric double pipes has good phase change and heat transfer characteristics during the melting and solidification processes, and it is an attractive candidate as a potential PCM for heat storage in latent heat thermal energy storage systems

  6. Cold storage with phase change material for building ventilation

    OpenAIRE

    Butala, Vincenc; Stritih, Uroš

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents an experimental and numerical analysis of building coolingusing night-time cold accumulation in phase change material (PCM), otherwise known as the "free-cooling" or "passive-cooling" principle. The phase change materials were used in ceilings and floors. The free-cooling principle is explained and some of the types of PCMs suitable for summer cooling are listed. An experiment was conducted using paraffin with a melting point of 22 °C as the PCM to store cold during the ni...

  7. Changes in the zero-point energy of the protons as the source of the binding energy of water to A-phase DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reiter, G F; Senesi, R; Mayers, J

    2010-10-01

    The measured changes in the zero-point kinetic energy of the protons are entirely responsible for the binding energy of water molecules to A phase DNA at the concentration of 6  water molecules/base pair. The changes in kinetic energy can be expected to be a significant contribution to the energy balance in intracellular biological processes and the properties of nano-confined water. The shape of the momentum distribution in the dehydrated A phase is consistent with coherent delocalization of some of the protons in a double well potential, with a separation of the wells of 0.2 Å.

  8. Changes in the Zero-Point Energy of the Protons as the Source of the Binding Energy of Water to A-Phase DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reiter, G. F.; Senesi, R.; Mayers, J.

    2010-01-01

    The measured changes in the zero-point kinetic energy of the protons are entirely responsible for the binding energy of water molecules to A phase DNA at the concentration of 6 water molecules/base pair. The changes in kinetic energy can be expected to be a significant contribution to the energy balance in intracellular biological processes and the properties of nano-confined water. The shape of the momentum distribution in the dehydrated A phase is consistent with coherent delocalization of some of the protons in a double well potential, with a separation of the wells of 0.2 Angst .

  9. Structure and thermal performance of poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)-g-alkyl alcohol comb-like copolymeric phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Haixia; Shi, Haifeng; Qi, Miao; Zhang, Lingjian; Zhang, Xingxiang; Qi, Lu

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: SMA-g-CnOH comb-like PCMs exhibit the better thermal stability against 1-alcohols due to the protection of SMA backbones, and the degradation temperature is dependent on the side-chain length, where at 5 wt% weight loss T d increased from 193 to 257 °C with n changing from 14 to 26. SMA-g-CnOH PCMs can be widely used under 300 °C for preparation of energy-saving products and materials. - Highlights: • The length of alkyl side-chains determines the thermal energy storage ability. • SMA backbone restricts the crystallization of alkyl side groups. • SMA-g-CnOH PCMs have the better thermal stability against 1-alcohols. - Abstract: A series of comb-like copolymeric phase change materials (SMA-g-CnOH) composed of poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (SMA) and 1-alcohols CnOH with n = 14, 16, 18 or 26, respectively, was synthesized through grafting reaction. The structure and thermal properties of SMA-g-CnOH were investigated by 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The DSC analysis indicates that SMA-g-CnOH exhibit good structure stability with phase change enthalpies changing from 37.9 to 110.7 J g −1 . The results showed that the low thermal efficiency of SMA-g-CnOH was ascribed to the small CH 2 segments of side chains participating in the assembled structure of side-chain crystallites. Their advantageous structural stability and thermal performance of SMA-g-CnOH were favorable for phase change materials in the thermal energy storage systems. Additionally, the influence of side-chain length on thermal properties of SMA-g-CnOH also was discussed in detail in combination with the published results

  10. Phase-Change Thermoplastic Elastomer Blends for Tunable Shape Memory by Physical Design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mineart, Kenneth P.; Tallury, Syamal S.; Li, Tao; Lee, Byeongdu; Spontak, Richard J.

    2016-12-14

    Shape-memory polymers (SMPs) change shape upon exposure to an environmental stimulus.1-3 They are of considerable importance in the ongoing development of stimuli-responsive biomedical4,5 and deployable6 devices, and their function depends on the presence of two components.7 The first provides mechanical rigidity to ensure retention of one or more temporary strain states and also serves as a switch capable of releasing a temporary strain state. The second, a network-forming component, is required to restore the polymer to a prior strain state upon stimulation. In thermally-activated SMPs, the switching element typically relies on a melting or glass transition temperature,1-3,7 and broad or multiple switches permit several temporary strain states.8-10 Chemical integration of network-forming and switching species endows SMPs with specific properties.8,10,11 Here, we demonstrate that phase-change materials incorporated into network-forming macromolecules yield shape-memory polymer blends (SMPBs) with physically tunable switching temperatures and recovery kinetics for use in multi-responsive laminates and shape-change electronics.

  11. Electronic properties of wurtzite-phase InP nanowires determined by optical and magneto-optical spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Luca, Marta; Polimeni, Antonio

    2017-12-01

    Thanks to their peculiar shape and dimensions, semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are emerging as building components of novel devices. The presence of wurtzite (WZ) phase in the lattice structure of non-nitride III-V NWs is one of the most surprising findings in these nanostructures: this phase, indeed, cannot be found in the same materials in the bulk form, where the zincblende (ZB) structure is ubiquitous, and therefore the WZ properties are poorly known. This review focuses on WZ InP NWs, because growth techniques have reached a high degree of control on the structural properties of this material, and optical studies performed on high-quality samples have allowed determining the most useful electronic properties, which are reviewed here. After an introduction summarizing the reasons for the interest in WZ InP nanowires (Sec. I), we give an overview on growth process and structural and optical properties of WZ InP NWs (Sec. II). In Sec. III, a complete picture of the energy and symmetry of the lowest-energy conduction and valence bands, as assessed by polarization-resolved photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence-excitation (PLE) studies is drawn and compared to all the available theoretical information. The elastic properties of WZ InP (determined by PL under hydrostatic pressure) and the radiative recombination dynamics of spatially direct and indirect (namely, occurring across the WZ/ZB interfaces) transitions are also discussed. Section IV, focuses on the magneto-optical studies of WZ InP NWs. The diagram of the energy levels of excitons in WZ materials—with and without magnetic field—is first provided. Then, all theoretical and experimental information available about the changes in the transport properties (i.e., carrier effective mass) caused by the ZB→WZ phase variation are reviewed. Different NW/magnetic field geometrical configurations, sensitive to polarization selection rules, highlight anisotropies in the diamagnetic shifts, Zeeman splitting

  12. The use of lipids as phase change materials for thermal energy storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phase change materials (PCMs) are substances capable of absorbing and releasing large 2 amounts of thermal energy (heat or cold) as latent heat over constant temperature as they 3 undergo a change in state of matter (phase transition), commonly, between solid and 4 liquid phases. Since the late 194...

  13. Adversary phase change detection using S.O.M. and text data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Speed, Ann Elizabeth; Doser, Adele Beatrice; Warrender, Christina E.

    2010-01-01

    In this work, we developed a self-organizing map (SOM) technique for using web-based text analysis to forecast when a group is undergoing a phase change. By 'phase change', we mean that an organization has fundamentally shifted attitudes or behaviors. For instance, when ice melts into water, the characteristics of the substance change. A formerly peaceful group may suddenly adopt violence, or a violent organization may unexpectedly agree to a ceasefire. SOM techniques were used to analyze text obtained from organization postings on the world-wide web. Results suggest it may be possible to forecast phase changes, and determine if an example of writing can be attributed to a group of interest.

  14. Effect of component substitution on the magnetic properties of Zr2Co11 phase and rapidly quenched Zr2Co11 - based alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gabaj, A.M.; Shchegoleva, N.N.; Gaviko, V.S.; Ivanova, G.V.

    2003-01-01

    Magnetic properties of homogenized ingots and rapidly quenched ribbons of (Zr 1-x M x ) 16.4 Co 83.6 with M=Ti, Nb, Y, Gd and Zr 16.4 (Co 1-y M* y ) 83.6 with M*= Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Al, Ga, Si are studied. The phase composition of the alloys is determined with the help of thermomagnetic analysis and, in specific cases, with the use of X-ray diffraction analysis and electron microscopical data. It is ascertained that a part of zirconium in a phase Zr 2 Co 11 can be replaced by titanium and niobium. The solubility of rare earth elements is noted to be not revealed. Cobalt is partially replaced by Al, Cu, Ga, Si, Ni and Fe in a 2:11 phase, and Mn stabilizes the structure of a Laves phase with unexpectedly strong ferromagnetic properties. For magnetic hardness of the rapidly quenched alloys the introduction of Ti is appeared to be most beneficial. This element enhances noticeably the coercive force and hysteresis loop rectangularity and, as it takes place, it does not change practically magnetic properties of a 2:11 phase but suppresses the formation of dendrites on its crystallization. A small increase of the coercive force is also observed on addition of Cu and Al [ru

  15. Effect of χ Phase Formation on the Mechanical Properties of 25Cr-7Ni-4Mo-0.2N Super Duplex Stainless Steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Chang Yong; Kim, Jae Hwan

    2011-01-01

    This study was carried out to investigate the precipitation behavior of χ phase and effect of χ-phase which precipitated at the initial stage of aging on mechanical properties of 25%Cr-7%Ni-4%Mo-0.2%N super duplex stainless steel. χ-phase was precipitated mainly at the interface of ferrite / austenite phases and inside of the ferrite phase at the initial stage of aging, and it was transformed into σ-phase with an increase of aging time. The ferrite phase was decomposed into new austenite(γ 2 )phase and σ-phase by aging treatment. The hardness and tensile strength of the initial stage of aging when χ-phase was precipitated did not changed considerably, while elongation rapidly decreased. Accordingly, it is considered that χ-phase didn't affect the hardness and strength significantly, but it affected the elongation.

  16. Beeswax as phase change material to improve solar panel’s performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thaib, R.; Rizal, S.; Riza, M.; Mahlia, T. M. I.; Rizal, T. A.

    2018-02-01

    One of the main obstacles faced during the operation of photovoltaic (PV) panels was overheating due to excessive solar radiation and high ambient temperatures. In this research, investigates the use of beeswax phase change materials (PCM) to maintain the temperature of the panels close to ambient. Solar panels used in this study has 839 mm length, 537 mm wide, and 50 mm thick, with maximum output power at 50 W. During the study, there were two solar panels was evaluated, one without phase change material while the other one was using beeswax phase change material. Solar panels were mounted at 15° slope. Variables observed was the temperature of solar panel’s surface, output voltage and current that produced by PV panels, wind speed around solar panels, and solar radiation. The observation was started at 07:00 am and ended at 06:00 pm. The research shows that maximum temperature of solar panels surface without phase change material is ranging between 46-49 °C, and electrical efficiency is about 7.2-8.8%. Meanwhile, for solar panels with beeswax phase change material, the maximum temperature solar panels surface is relatively low ranging between 33-34 °C, and its electrical efficiency seems to increase about 9.1-9.3%.

  17. Phase change material for temperature control and material storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wessling, Jr., Francis C. (Inventor); Blackwood, James M. (Inventor)

    2011-01-01

    A phase change material comprising a mixture of water and deuterium oxide is described, wherein the mole fraction of deuterium oxide is selected so that the mixture has a selected phase change temperature within a range between 0.degree. C. and 4.degree. C. The mixture is placed in a container and used for passive storage and transport of biomaterials and other temperature sensitive materials. Gels, nucleating agents, freezing point depression materials and colorants may be added to enhance the characteristics of the mixture.

  18. Effect of expanded graphite on the phase change materials of high density polyethylene/wax blends

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    AlMaadeed, M.A., E-mail: m.alali@qu.edu.qa [Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, 2713 Doha (Qatar); Labidi, Sami [Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, 2713 Doha (Qatar); Krupa, Igor [QAPCO Polymer Chair, Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha (Qatar); Karkri, Mustapha [Université Paris-Est CERTES, 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil (France)

    2015-01-20

    Highlights: • Expanded graphite (EG) and low melting point (42.3 °C) wax were added to HDPE to form phase change material. • EG was well dispersed in the composites and did not affect the melting or crystallization of the HDPE matrix. • EG increased the thermal stability of the composites by reducing chain mobility and inhibiting degradation. • The addition of a relatively small quantity of EG enhances the heat conduction in the composite. • HDPE/40% RT42 that contained up to 15% EG demonstrated excellent mechanical and thermal properties and can be used as PCM. - Abstract: Phase change materials fabricated from high density polyethylene (HDPE) blended with 40 or 50 wt% commercial wax (melting point of 43.08 °C) and up to 15 wt% expanded graphite (EG) were studied. Techniques including scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and an experimental device to measure diffusivity and conductivity (DICO) were used to determine the microstructural, mechanical and thermal properties of the composites. The composites possessed good mechanical properties. Additionally, no leaching was observed during material processing or characterization. Although the Young’s modulus increased with the addition of EG, no significant changes in tensile strength were detected. The maximum Young’s modulus achieved was 650 MPa for the HDPE/40% wax composite with 15 wt% EG. The EG was well dispersed within the composites and did not affect the melting or crystallization of the HDPE matrix. The incorporation of EG increased the thermal stability of the composites by reducing chain mobility and inhibiting degradation. The intensification of thermal conductivity occurred with increasing fractions of EG, which was attributed to the high thermal conductivity of graphite. The maximum quantity of heat stored by latent heat was found for the HDPE/40% wax composite with EG. The addition of a relatively small quantity

  19. Effect of expanded graphite on the phase change materials of high density polyethylene/wax blends

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    AlMaadeed, M.A.; Labidi, Sami; Krupa, Igor; Karkri, Mustapha

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Expanded graphite (EG) and low melting point (42.3 °C) wax were added to HDPE to form phase change material. • EG was well dispersed in the composites and did not affect the melting or crystallization of the HDPE matrix. • EG increased the thermal stability of the composites by reducing chain mobility and inhibiting degradation. • The addition of a relatively small quantity of EG enhances the heat conduction in the composite. • HDPE/40% RT42 that contained up to 15% EG demonstrated excellent mechanical and thermal properties and can be used as PCM. - Abstract: Phase change materials fabricated from high density polyethylene (HDPE) blended with 40 or 50 wt% commercial wax (melting point of 43.08 °C) and up to 15 wt% expanded graphite (EG) were studied. Techniques including scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and an experimental device to measure diffusivity and conductivity (DICO) were used to determine the microstructural, mechanical and thermal properties of the composites. The composites possessed good mechanical properties. Additionally, no leaching was observed during material processing or characterization. Although the Young’s modulus increased with the addition of EG, no significant changes in tensile strength were detected. The maximum Young’s modulus achieved was 650 MPa for the HDPE/40% wax composite with 15 wt% EG. The EG was well dispersed within the composites and did not affect the melting or crystallization of the HDPE matrix. The incorporation of EG increased the thermal stability of the composites by reducing chain mobility and inhibiting degradation. The intensification of thermal conductivity occurred with increasing fractions of EG, which was attributed to the high thermal conductivity of graphite. The maximum quantity of heat stored by latent heat was found for the HDPE/40% wax composite with EG. The addition of a relatively small quantity

  20. Diatomite: A promising natural candidate as carrier material for low, middle and high temperature phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qian, Tingting; Li, Jinhong; Min, Xin; Deng, Yong; Guan, Weimin; Ning, Lei

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Low-temperature PCMs are always the objects of prime investigations, however, the field of PCMs’ applications is not limited to low temperatures only. In the present study, three kinds of PCMs: polyethylene glycol (PEG), lithium nitrate, and sodium sulfate were respectively employed as the low-, middle- and high-temperature storage medium. A series of novel form-stable phase change materials (fs-PCMs) were tailor-made by blending diatomite and the three kinds of PCMs via a vacuum impregnation method or a facile mixing and sintering method. Various techniques were employed to characterize their structural and thermal properties. - Highlights: • Low-temperature PEG/diatomite was prepared. • Middle-temperature LiNO 3 /diatomite was prepared. • High-temperature Na 2 SO 4 /diatomite was prepared. - Abstract: Low-temperature PCMs are always the objects of prime investigations, however, the field of PCM’s application is not only limited to low temperatures. In this study, polyethylene glycol (PEG), lithium nitrate (LiNO 3 ), and sodium sulfate (Na 2 SO 4 ) were respectively employed as the low-, middle- and high-temperature storage medium. A series of novel form-stable phase change materials (fs-PCMs) were tailor-made by blending diatomite and the three PCMs via a vacuum impregnation method or a facile mixing and sintering method. Various techniques were employed to characterize their structural and thermal properties. The maximum loads of PEG, LiNO 3 , and Na 2 SO 4 in diatomite powder could respectively reach 58%, 60%, and 65%, while PCM melts during the solid–liquid phase transformation. SEM, XRD, and FT-IR results indicated that PCMs were well dispersed into diatomite pores and no chemical changes took place during the heating and cooling process. The prepared fs-PCMs were quite stable in terms of thermal and chemical manner even after a 200-cycle of melting and freezing. The resulting composite fs-PCMs were promising candidates to

  1. Opto-electronic properties of bismuth oxide films presenting different crystallographic phases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gomez, Celia L. [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, UNAM, Circuito Exterior s/n CU, México D.F. 04510 (Mexico); Posgrado en Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales, UNAM, Unidad de Posgrado, Edificio C, Piso 1, Zona Cultural de CU, México, D.F. 04510 (Mexico); Depablos-Rivera, Osmary, E-mail: osmarydep@yahoo.com [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, UNAM, Circuito Exterior s/n CU, México D.F. 04510 (Mexico); Posgrado en Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales, UNAM, Unidad de Posgrado, Edificio C, Piso 1, Zona Cultural de CU, México, D.F. 04510 (Mexico); Silva-Bermudez, Phaedra [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, UNAM, Circuito Exterior s/n CU, México D.F. 04510 (Mexico); Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación, Calz. México Xochimilco No. 289 Col. Arenal de Guadalupe, C.P.14389, Ciudad de México, D.F. (Mexico); Muhl, Stephen [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, UNAM, Circuito Exterior s/n CU, México D.F. 04510 (Mexico); Zeinert, Andreas; Lejeune, Michael; Charvet, Stephane; Barroy, Pierre [Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 33 rue Saint Leu, 80039 Amiens Cedex 1 (France); Camps, Enrique [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Carretera México-Toluca S/N, kilómetro 36.5. La Marquesa, Municipio de Ocoyoacac, CP 52750, Estado de México (Mexico); Rodil, Sandra E. [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, UNAM, Circuito Exterior s/n CU, México D.F. 04510 (Mexico)

    2015-03-02

    The optical, electrical and structural properties of bismuth oxide thin films deposited by radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering were studied. The Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films were grown on Si and glass substrates under different power and substrate temperatures in an oxygen-enriched plasma leading to films with different crystalline phase as evidenced by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The optical properties of the films were measured using ellipsometric spectroscopy and optical transmission spectra. In order to parameterize the optical dispersion functions (n, k) of the films, the Tauc–Lorentz dispersion model was used. The optical bandgap was then assessed by different methods and the results are compared to the thermal variations of the electrical resistivity of the films. It was found that the refractive index, extinction coefficient and optical gap strongly depend on the deposition conditions and the crystalline phase; the fluorite defect cubic δ-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase showed the lowest optical gap and lower resistivity. - Highlights: • Different bismuth oxide phases were obtained by sputtering. • The power and substrate temperature were the two key parameters. • Room temperature delta-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films were obtained. • The optical bandgap was around 1.5 and 2.2 eV, depending on the phase. • The bismuth oxide films presented activation energies around 1 eV.

  2. Opto-electronic properties of bismuth oxide films presenting different crystallographic phases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gomez, Celia L.; Depablos-Rivera, Osmary; Silva-Bermudez, Phaedra; Muhl, Stephen; Zeinert, Andreas; Lejeune, Michael; Charvet, Stephane; Barroy, Pierre; Camps, Enrique; Rodil, Sandra E.

    2015-01-01

    The optical, electrical and structural properties of bismuth oxide thin films deposited by radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering were studied. The Bi 2 O 3 thin films were grown on Si and glass substrates under different power and substrate temperatures in an oxygen-enriched plasma leading to films with different crystalline phase as evidenced by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The optical properties of the films were measured using ellipsometric spectroscopy and optical transmission spectra. In order to parameterize the optical dispersion functions (n, k) of the films, the Tauc–Lorentz dispersion model was used. The optical bandgap was then assessed by different methods and the results are compared to the thermal variations of the electrical resistivity of the films. It was found that the refractive index, extinction coefficient and optical gap strongly depend on the deposition conditions and the crystalline phase; the fluorite defect cubic δ-Bi 2 O 3 phase showed the lowest optical gap and lower resistivity. - Highlights: • Different bismuth oxide phases were obtained by sputtering. • The power and substrate temperature were the two key parameters. • Room temperature delta-Bi 2 O 3 thin films were obtained. • The optical bandgap was around 1.5 and 2.2 eV, depending on the phase. • The bismuth oxide films presented activation energies around 1 eV

  3. Structural phase transition and opto-electronic properties of NaZnAs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Djied, A.; Seddik, T.; Merabiha, O. [Laboratoire de Physique Quantique et de Modélisation Mathématique, Université de Mascara, 29000 (Algeria); Murtaza, G. [Materials Modeling Lab, Department of Physics, Islamia College University, Peshawar (Pakistan); Khenata, R. [Laboratoire de Physique Quantique et de Modélisation Mathématique, Université de Mascara, 29000 (Algeria); Ahmed, R., E-mail: rashidahmed@utm.my [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Skudai, 81310 Johor (Malaysia); Bin-Omran, S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451 (Saudi Arabia); Uğur, Ş. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Gazi University, 06500 Teknikokullar, Ankara (Turkey); Bouhemadou, A. [Laboratory for Developing New Materials and their Characterization, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University Setif 1, 19000 Setif (Algeria)

    2015-02-15

    Highlights: • First competent characterizations of NaZnAs at the level of FP-LAPW+lo. • NaZnAs, a potential alternative candidate to III-V for photovoltaic applications. • NaZnAs, a cheaper and abundantly available direct band gap semiconductor. • Potential material for solar radiation absorber from infrared to ultraviolet. - Abstract: In this study, we predict the structural phase transitions as well as opto-electronic properties of the filled-tetrahedral (Nowotny-Juza) NaZnAs compound. Calculations employ the full potential (FP) linearized augmented plane wave (LAPW) plus local orbitals (lo) scheme. The exchange-correlation potential is treated within the generalized gradient approximation of Perdew-Burke and Ernzerhof (GGA-PBE). In addition, Tran and Blaha (TB) modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) potential is also used to obtain more accurate optoelectronic properties. Geometry optimization is performed to obtain reliable total energies and other structural parameters for each NaZnAs phase. In our study, the sequence of the structural phase transition on compression is Cu{sub 2}Sb-type → β → α phase. NaZnAs is a direct (Γ-Γ) band gap semiconductor for all the structural phases. However, compared to PBE-GGA, the mBJ approximation reproduces better fundamental band gaps. Moreover, for insight into its potential for photovoltaic applications, different optical parameters are studied.

  4. Structural phase transition and opto-electronic properties of NaZnAs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Djied, A.; Seddik, T.; Merabiha, O.; Murtaza, G.; Khenata, R.; Ahmed, R.; Bin-Omran, S.; Uğur, Ş.; Bouhemadou, A.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • First competent characterizations of NaZnAs at the level of FP-LAPW+lo. • NaZnAs, a potential alternative candidate to III-V for photovoltaic applications. • NaZnAs, a cheaper and abundantly available direct band gap semiconductor. • Potential material for solar radiation absorber from infrared to ultraviolet. - Abstract: In this study, we predict the structural phase transitions as well as opto-electronic properties of the filled-tetrahedral (Nowotny-Juza) NaZnAs compound. Calculations employ the full potential (FP) linearized augmented plane wave (LAPW) plus local orbitals (lo) scheme. The exchange-correlation potential is treated within the generalized gradient approximation of Perdew-Burke and Ernzerhof (GGA-PBE). In addition, Tran and Blaha (TB) modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) potential is also used to obtain more accurate optoelectronic properties. Geometry optimization is performed to obtain reliable total energies and other structural parameters for each NaZnAs phase. In our study, the sequence of the structural phase transition on compression is Cu 2 Sb-type → β → α phase. NaZnAs is a direct (Γ-Γ) band gap semiconductor for all the structural phases. However, compared to PBE-GGA, the mBJ approximation reproduces better fundamental band gaps. Moreover, for insight into its potential for photovoltaic applications, different optical parameters are studied

  5. Experimental Investigation of Thermal Conductivity of Concrete Containing Micro-Encapsulated Phase Change Materials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pomianowski, Michal Zbigniew; Heiselberg, Per; Jensen, Rasmus Lund

    2011-01-01

    in this article utilizes integration of the concrete and the microencapsulated Phase Change Material (PCM). PCM has the ability to absorb and release significant amounts of heat at a specific temperature range. As a consequence of admixing PCM to the concrete, new thermal properties like thermal conductivity...... and specific heat capacity have to be defined. This paper presents results from the measurements of the thermal conductivity of various microencapsulated PCM-concrete and PCM-cement-paste mixes. It was discovered that increase of the amount of PCM decreases the thermal conductivity of the concrete PCM mixture....... Finally, a theoretical calculation methodology of thermal conductivity for PCM-concrete mixes is developed....

  6. Ferroelectric properties of tungsten bronze morphotropic phase boundary systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliver, J.R.; Neurgaonkar, R.R.; Cross, L.E.; Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA

    1989-01-01

    Tungsten bronze ferroelectrics which have a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) can have a number or enhanced dielectric, piezoelectric, and electrooptic properties compared to more conventional ferroelectric materials. The structural and ferroelectric properties of several MPB bronze systems are presented, including data from sintered and hot-pressed ceramics, epitaxial thin films, and bulk single crystals. Included among these are three systems which had not been previously identified as morphotropic. The potential advantages and limitations of these MPB systems are discussed, along with considerations of the appropriate growth methods for their possible utilization in optical, piezoelectric, or pyroelectric device applications

  7. Study of the crystallographic phase change on copper (I) selenide thin films prepared through chemical bath deposition by varying the pH of the solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sandoval-Paz, M.G., E-mail: myrnasandoval@udec.cl [Departament of Physics, Faculty of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, University of Concepcion, Box 160-C, Concepción (Chile); Rodríguez, C.A. [Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Concepción, Edmundo Larenas 270, Concepción 4070409 (Chile); Porcile-Saavedra, P.F. [Departament of Physics, Faculty of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, University of Concepcion, Box 160-C, Concepción (Chile); Trejo-Cruz, C. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Biobío, Avenue Collao 1202, Box 5C, Concepción 4051381 (Chile)

    2016-07-15

    Copper (I) selenide thin films with orthorhombic and cubic structure were deposited on glass substrates by using the chemical bath deposition technique. The effects of the solution pH on the films growth and subsequently the structural, optical and electrical properties of the films were studied. Films with orthorhombic structure were obtained from baths wherein both metal complex and hydroxide coexist; while films with cubic structure were obtained from baths where the metal hydroxide there is no present. The structural modifications are accompanied by changes in bandgap energy, morphology and electrical resistivity of the films. - Graphical abstract: “Study of the crystallographic phase change on copper (I) selenide thin films prepared through chemical bath deposition by varying the pH of the solution” by M. G. Sandoval-Paz, C. A. Rodríguez, P. F. Porcile-Saavedra, C. Trejo-Cruz. Display Omitted - Highlights: • Copper (I) selenide thin films were obtained by chemical bath deposition. • Orthorhombic to cubic phase change was induced by varying the reaction solution pH. • Orthorhombic phase is obtained mainly from a hydroxides cluster mechanism. • Cubic phase is obtained mainly from an ion by ion mechanism. • Structural, optical and electrical properties are presented as a function of pH.

  8. Is the use of ergonomic measures associated with behavioural change phases?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Molen, Henk F.; Sluiter, Judith K.; Frings-Dresen, Monique H. W.

    2006-01-01

    The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the absolute number of completed behavioural change phases (ABP) and the sequentially ordered number of completed behavioural change phases (SBP) are positively associated with the use of ergonomic measures by two groups of stakeholders in

  9. Phase imaging of mechanical properties of live cells (Conference Presentation)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wax, Adam

    2017-02-01

    The mechanisms by which cells respond to mechanical stimuli are essential for cell function yet not well understood. Many rheological tools have been developed to characterize cellular viscoelastic properties but these typically require direct mechanical contact, limiting their throughput. We have developed a new approach for characterizing the organization of subcellular structures using a label free, noncontact, single-shot phase imaging method that correlates to measured cellular mechanical stiffness. The new analysis approach measures refractive index variance and relates it to disorder strength. These measurements are compared to cellular stiffness, measured using the same imaging tool to visualize nanoscale responses to flow shear stimulus. The utility of the technique is shown by comparing shear stiffness and phase disorder strength across five cellular populations with varying mechanical properties. An inverse relationship between disorder strength and shear stiffness is shown, suggesting that cell mechanical properties can be assessed in a format amenable to high throughput studies using this novel, non-contact technique. Further studies will be presented which include examination of mechanical stiffness in early carcinogenic events and investigation of the role of specific cellular structural proteins in mechanotransduction.

  10. Phase Change Materials and the perception of wetness.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bergmann Tiest, W.M.; Kappers, A.M.L.; Daanen, H.A.M.

    2012-01-01

    Phase change materials (PCMs) are increasingly incorporated in textiles in order to serve as a thermal buffer when humans change from a hot to a cold environment and the reverse. Due to the absence of wetness sensors in the skin, cooling of the skin may be perceived as a sensation of wetness instead

  11. Phase change materials and the perception of wetness

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bergmann Tiest, W.M.; Kosters, N.D.; Kappers, A.M.L.; Daanen, H.A.M.

    2012-01-01

    Phase change materials (PCMs) are increasingly incorporated in textiles in order to serve as a thermal buffer when humans change from a hot to a cold environment and the reverse. Due to the absence of wetness sensors in the skin, cooling of the skin may be perceived as a sensation of wetness instead

  12. Nanometer-scale temperature measurements of phase change memory and carbon nanomaterials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grosse, Kyle Lane

    This work investigates nanometer-scale thermometry and thermal transport in new electronic devices to mitigate future electronic energy consumption. Nanometer-scale thermal transport is integral to electronic energy consumption and limits current electronic performance. New electronic devices are required to improve future electronic performance and energy consumption, but heat generation is not well understood in these new technologies. Thermal transport deviates significantly at the nanometer-scale from macroscopic systems as low dimensional materials, grain structure, interfaces, and thermoelectric effects can dominate electronic performance. This work develops and implements an atomic force microscopy (AFM) based nanometer-scale thermometry technique, known as scanning Joule expansion microscopy (SJEM), to measure nanometer-scale heat generation in new graphene and phase change memory (PCM) devices, which have potential to improve performance and energy consumption of future electronics. Nanometer-scale thermometry of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown graphene measured the heat generation at graphene wrinkles and grain boundaries (GBs). Graphene is an atomically-thin, two dimensional (2D) carbon material with promising applications in new electronic devices. Comparing measurements and predictions of CVD graphene heating predicted the resistivity, voltage drop, and temperature rise across the one dimensional (1D) GB defects. This work measured the nanometer-scale temperature rise of thin film Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) based PCM due to Joule, thermoelectric, interface, and grain structure effects. PCM has potential to reduce energy consumption and improve performance of future electronic memory. A new nanometer-scale thermometry technique is developed for independent and direct observation of Joule and thermoelectric effects at the nanometer-scale, and the technique is demonstrated by SJEM measurements of GST devices. Uniform heating and GST properties are observed for

  13. Morphological analysis of GeTe in inline phase change switches

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    King, Matthew R., E-mail: matthew.king2@ngc.com [Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Advanced Concepts and Technologies Division, 1212 Winterson Rd., Linthicum, Maryland 21090 (United States); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 (United States); El-Hinnawy, Nabil [Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Advanced Concepts and Technologies Division, 1212 Winterson Rd., Linthicum, Maryland 21090 (United States); Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 (United States); Salmon, Mike; Gu, Jitty [Evans Analytical Group, 628 Hutton St., Raleigh, North Carolina 27606 (United States); Wagner, Brian P.; Jones, Evan B.; Howell, Robert S.; Nichols, Doyle T.; Young, Robert M. [Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Advanced Concepts and Technologies Division, 1212 Winterson Rd., Linthicum, Maryland 21090 (United States); Borodulin, Pavel [Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Advanced Concepts and Technologies Division, 1212 Winterson Rd., Linthicum, Maryland 21090 (United States); Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218 (United States)

    2015-09-07

    Crystallization and amorphization phenomena in indirectly heated phase change material-based devices were investigated. Scanning transmission electron microscopy was utilized to explore GeTe phase transition processes in the context of the unique inline phase change switch (IPCS) architecture. A monolithically integrated thin film heating element successfully converted GeTe to ON and OFF states. Device cycling prompted the formation of an active area which sustains the majority of structural changes during pulsing. A transition region on both sides of the active area consisting of polycrystalline GeTe and small nuclei (<15 nm) in an amorphous matrix was also observed. The switching mechanism, determined by variations in pulsing parameters, was shown to be predominantly growth-driven. A preliminary model for crystallization and amorphization in IPCS devices is presented.

  14. Uncertainty in project phases: A framework for organisational change management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kreye, Melanie; Balangalibun, Sarah

    2015-01-01

    in the early stage of the change project but was delayed until later phases. Furthermore, the sources of uncertainty were found to be predominantly within the organisation that initiated the change project and connected to the project scope. Based on these findings, propositions for future research are defined......Uncertainty is an integral challenge when managing organisational change projects (OCPs). Current literature highlights the importance of uncertainty; however, falls short of giving insights into the nature of uncertainty and suggestions for managing it. Specifically, no insights exist on how...... uncertainty develops over the different phases of OCPs. This paper presents case-based evidence on different sources of uncertainty in OCPs and how these develop over the different project phases. The results showed some surprising findings as the majority of the uncertainty did not manifest itself...

  15. Morphological analysis of GeTe in inline phase change switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, Matthew R.; El-Hinnawy, Nabil; Salmon, Mike; Gu, Jitty; Wagner, Brian P.; Jones, Evan B.; Howell, Robert S.; Nichols, Doyle T.; Young, Robert M.; Borodulin, Pavel

    2015-01-01

    Crystallization and amorphization phenomena in indirectly heated phase change material-based devices were investigated. Scanning transmission electron microscopy was utilized to explore GeTe phase transition processes in the context of the unique inline phase change switch (IPCS) architecture. A monolithically integrated thin film heating element successfully converted GeTe to ON and OFF states. Device cycling prompted the formation of an active area which sustains the majority of structural changes during pulsing. A transition region on both sides of the active area consisting of polycrystalline GeTe and small nuclei (<15 nm) in an amorphous matrix was also observed. The switching mechanism, determined by variations in pulsing parameters, was shown to be predominantly growth-driven. A preliminary model for crystallization and amorphization in IPCS devices is presented

  16. Microstructural and bulk property changes in hardened cement paste during the first drying process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maruyama, Ippei, E-mail: ippei@dali.nuac.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, ES Building, No. 546, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464–8603 (Japan); Nishioka, Yukiko; Igarashi, Go [Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, ES Building, No. 539, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464–8603 (Japan); Matsui, Kunio [Products and Marketing Development Dept. Asahi-KASEI Construction Materials Corporation, 106 Someya, Sakai-machi, Sashima-gun, Ibaraki, 306–0493 (Japan)

    2014-04-01

    This paper reports the microstructural changes and resultant bulk physical property changes in hardened cement paste (hcp) during the first desorption process. The microstructural changes and solid-phase changes were evaluated by water vapor sorption, nitrogen sorption, ultrasonic velocity, and {sup 29}Si and {sup 27}Al nuclear magnetic resonance. Strength, Young's modulus, and drying shrinkage were also examined. The first drying process increased the volume of macropores and decreased the volume of mesopores and interlayer spaces. Furthermore, in the first drying process globule clusters were interconnected. During the first desorption, the strength increased for samples cured at 100% to 90% RH, decreased for 90% to 40% RH, and increased again for 40% to 11% RH. This behavior is explained by both microstructural changes in hcp and C–S–H globule densification. The drying shrinkage strains during rapid drying and slow drying were compared and the effects of the microstructural changes and evaporation were separated.

  17. Easy and industrially applicable impregnation process for preparation of diatomite-based phase change material nanocomposites for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konuklu, Yeliz; Ersoy, Orkun; Gokce, Ozgur

    2015-01-01

    The high porosity, high oil and water absorption capacity and low density of diatomite make it ideal for industrial applications. The porous structure of diatomite protects phase change materials (PCMs) from environmental factors as a supporting matrix and phase changes occur in nanopores of diatomite. Previous research on diatomite/PCMs composites aimed optimal composite preparation but many methods were feasible only in laboratory scale. In large scale industrial fabrication, easy, continuous and steady state methods are need to be performed. The main purpose of this study was to prepare leakage-free, thermally stable nanocomposite PCMs (nanoCPCMs) by an easy, continuous and steady state method for high temperature thermal energy storage applications. A series of nanoCPCMs with different paraffin:diatomite mass ratios were prepared. The properties of nanoCPCMs have been characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The leak (exudation) test was performed on prepared composites at higher temperatures (95 °C) in comparison with literature. As the optimum composite for thermal energy storage applications, thermal reliability of nanoCPCM was evaluated after 400 cycles of melting and freezing. NanoCPCM melted at 36.55 °C with latent heat of 53.1 J/g. - Highlights: • Diatomite-based phase change material nanocomposites were prepared. • An easy and industrially applicable impregnation process was developed. • Influence of diatomite: PCM mass ratio on thermal properties reported.

  18. Synthesis and Characterization of Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials with Poly(urea-urethane) Shells Containing Cellulose Nanocrystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, Youngman; Martinez, Carlos; Youngblood, Jeffrey P

    2017-09-20

    The main objective of this study is to develop microencapsulation technology for thermal energy storage incorporating a phase change material (PCM) in a composite wall shell, which can be used to create a stable environment and allow the PCM to undergo phase change without any outside influence. Surface modification of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) was conducted by grafting poly(lactic acid) oligomers and oleic acid to improve the dispersion of nanoparticles in a polymeric shell. A microencapsulated phase change material (methyl laurate) with poly(urea-urethane) (PU) composite shells containing the hydrophobized cellulose nanocrystals (hCNCs) was fabricated using an in situ emulsion interfacial polymerization process. The encapsulation process of the PCMs with subsequent interfacial hCNC-PU to form composite microcapsules as well as their morphology, composition, thermal properties, and release rates was examined in this study. Oil soluble Sudan II dye solution in methyl laurate was used as a model hydrophobic fill, representing other latent fills with low partition coefficients, and their encapsulation efficiency as well as dye release rates were measured spectroscopically in a water medium. The influence of polyol content in the PU polymer matrix of microcapsules was investigated. An increase in polyol contents leads to an increase in the mean size of microcapsules but a decrease in the gel content (degree of cross-linking density) and permeability of their shell structure. The encapsulated PCMs for thermal energy storage demonstrated here exhibited promising performance for possible use in building or paving materials in terms of released heat, desired phase transformation temperature, chemical and physical stability, and concrete durability during placement.

  19. Molybdenum Carbamate Nanosheets as a New Class of Potential Phase Change Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhukovskyi, Maksym; Plashnitsa, Vladimir; Petchsang, Nattasamon; Ruth, Anthony; Bajpai, Anshumaan; Vietmeyer, Felix; Wang, Yuanxing; Brennan, Michael; Pang, Yunsong; Werellapatha, Kalpani; Bunker, Bruce; Chattopadhyay, Soma; Luo, Tengfei; Janko, Boldizsar; Fay, Patrick; Kuno, Masaru

    2017-06-14

    We report for the first time the synthesis of large, free-standing, Mo 2 O 2 (μ-S) 2 (Et 2 dtc) 2 (MoDTC) nanosheets (NSs), which exhibit an electron-beam induced crystalline-to-amorphous phase transition. Both electron beam ionization and femtosecond (fs) optical excitation induce the phase transition, which is size-, morphology-, and composition-preserving. Resulting NSs are the largest, free-standing regularly shaped two-dimensional amorphous nanostructures made to date. More importantly, amorphization is accompanied by dramatic changes to the NS electrical and optical response wherein resulting amorphous species exhibit room-temperature conductivities 5 orders of magnitude larger than those of their crystalline counterparts. This enhancement likely stems from the amorphization-induced formation of sulfur vacancy-related defects and is supported by temperature-dependent transport measurements, which reveal efficient variable range hopping. MoDTC NSs represent one instance of a broader class of transition metal carbamates likely having applications because of their intriguing electrical properties as well as demonstrated ability to toggle metal oxidation states.

  20. Cu Nanoparticles Improved Thermal Property of Form-Stable Phase Change Materials Made with Carbon Nanofibers and LA-MA-SA Eutectic Mixture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Xiaofei; Cai, Yibing; Huang, Cong; Gu, Ying; Zhang, Junhao; Qiao, Hui; Wei, Qufu

    2018-04-01

    A novel form-stable phase change materials (FSPCMs) was fabricated by incorporating fatty acid eutectics with electrospun carbon nanofibers (CNFs) surface-attached with copper (Cu) nanoparticles. Three different Cu/CNFs mats were made through combining the technique and principle of electrospinning, pre-oxidation/carbonization and in-situ reduction, while lauric-myristic-stearic acid (LA-MA-SA) ternary eutectic mixture was prepared as the model PCM. The morphology and crystal structure of Cu/CNFs were characterized by Fourier transfer infrared (FT-IR) spectra, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The results showed that Cu nanoparticles dispersed uniformly on the surface of CNFs mats without agglomeration, and Cu/CNFs mats could provide the mechanical support for FSPCMs and effectively prevent the flow/leakage of molten fatty acid. Morphological structures, as well as the properties of thermal energy storage and thermal energy storage/retrieval rates, of the resulting FSPCMs were investigated by SEM, Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and measurement of melting/freezing times, respectively. The results indicated that the fabricated FSPCMs exhibited desired structural morphology, and LA-MA-SA well dispersed in three-dimensional porous structure of Cu/CNFs mats. The melting and crystallization enthalpies of the fabricated FSPCMs were in the range of 117.1-140.7 kJ/kg and 117.2-142.4 kJ/kg, respectively. In comparison with melting/freezing times of LA-MA-SA ternary eutectic mixture, the melting/freezing times of fabricated FSPCMs were respectively decreased ~27.0-49.2% and ~44.1-63.0%. The fabricated FSPCMs possessed good thermal energy storage/retrieval property, and might have great potential for renewable energy storage applications.

  1. Performance evaluation on solar still integrated with nano-composite phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rajasekhar, G.; Eswaramoorthy, M.

    2015-01-01

    This paper communicates the performance evaluation of single slope solar still integrated with nano-composite phase change materials and compare with the experimental results of with and without phase change materials. A solar still with 1 m"2 surface area is developed with non-selective coating of absorber sheet with the provision of thermal energy storage materials. The solar still is tested on typical days with and without thermal energy storage materials. It is found that from the experimental studies that nano-materials (Al_2O_3) dispersed in paraffin wax is giving better cumulative yield of distillate than paraffin wax alone and without paraffin wax thermal storage. The daily efficiency of the solar still is computed for solar still with nano-composite phase change materials is 45% and solar still paraffin wax alone thermal storage is 40% and solar still without any thermal storage is 38%. It is concluded from the experimental studies; solar still integrated with nano-composite phase change materials gives better performance than with and without phase change material alone. (authors)

  2. Materials research for passive solar systems: Solid-state phase-change materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benson, D. K.; Webb, J. D.; Burrows, R. W.; McFadden, J. D. O.; Christensen, C.

    1985-03-01

    A set of solid-state phase-change materials is being evaluated for possible use in passive solar thermal energy storage systems. The most promising materials are organic solid solutions of pentaerythritol (C5H12O4), pentaglycerinve (C5H12O3), and neopentyl glycol (C5H12O2). Solid solution mixtures of these compounds can be tailored so that they exhibit solid-to-solid phase transformations at any desired temperature between 25 C and 188 C, and have latent heats of transformation etween 20 and 70 cal/g. Transformation temperatures, specific heats, and latent heats of transformation have been measured for a number of these materials. Limited cyclic experiments suggest that the solid solutions are stable. These phase-change materials exhibit large amounts of undercooling; however, the addition of certain nucleating agents as particulate dispersions in the solid phase-change material greatly reduces this effect. Computer simulations suggest that the use of an optimized solid-state phase-change material in a Trombe wall could provide better performance than a concrete Trombe wall four times thicker and nine times heavier.

  3. Inserting Phase Change Lines into Microsoft Excel® Graphs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dubuque, Erick M

    2015-10-01

    Microsoft Excel® is a popular graphing tool used by behavior analysts to visually display data. However, this program is not always friendly to the graphing conventions used by behavior analysts. For example, adding phase change lines has typically been a cumbersome process involving the insertion of line objects that do not move when new data is added to a graph. The purpose of this article is to describe a novel way to add phase change lines that move when new data is added and when graphs are resized.

  4. Preparation and properties of palmitic-stearic acid eutectic mixture/expanded graphite composite as phase change material for energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Nan; Yuan, Yanping; Du, Yanxia; Cao, Xiaoling; Yuan, Yaguang

    2014-01-01

    A novel composite PCM (phase change material) with PA-SA (palmitic-stearic acid) eutectic mixture as PCM and EG (expanded graphite) as supporting material was prepared. The optimum absorption ratio of PA-SA/EG (Palmitic-stearic acid/expanded graphite) composite PCM was determined as PA-SA:EG = 13:1 (by mass). Scanning electron microscope and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy results show that PA-SA was uniformly distributed in the porous network structure of EG due to the physical action. Thermal property and thermal stability of the PA-SA/EG composite PCM were characterized by DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) and TGA (thermogravimetric analysis). DSC results indicated that the melting and freezing temperatures and latent heats of PA-SA/EG were measured as 53.89 °C and 54.37 °C, and 166.27 J/g and 166.13 J/g. TGA test results revealed that PA-SA/EG had a good thermal stability in working temperature range. Thermal cycling test results showed PA-SA/EG had a good thermal reliability after 720 thermal cycles. Thermal conductivity of the composite PCM was measured as 2.51 W/m K, much higher than that of PA-SA. The thermal energy storage and release rates of PA-SA/EG were also increased due to the high thermal conductivity of EG. In conclusion, the prepared PA-SA/EG composite PCM can be acted as a potential material for thermal energy storage due to the acceptable thermal properties, good thermal reliability and stability, high thermal conductivity. - Highlights: • PA-SA/EG (Palmitic-stearic acid/expanded graphite) composite PCM was prepared. • Optimum absorption ratio of PA-SA in EG was obtained as 13:1 (by mass). • Thermal conductivity and performance of PA-SA/EG have been significate improved. • PA-SA/EG has a good thermal reliability and thermal stability

  5. The Prediction of the Mechanical Properties for Dual-Phase High Strength Steel Grades Based on Microstructure Characteristics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emil Evin

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The decrease of emissions from vehicle operation is connected mainly to the reduction of the car’s body weight. The high strength and good formability of the dual phase steel grades predetermine these to be used in the structural parts of the car’s body safety zones. The plastic properties of dual phase steel grades are determined by the ferrite matrix while the strength properties are improved by the volume and distribution of martensite. The aim of this paper is to describe the relationship between the mechanical properties and the parameters of structure and substructure. The heat treatment of low carbon steel X60, low alloyed steel S460MC, and dual phase steel DP600 allowed for them to reach states with a wide range of volume fractions of secondary phases and grain size. The mechanical properties were identified by a tensile test, volume fraction of secondary phases, and grain size were measured by image analysis. It was found that by increasing the annealing temperature, the volume fraction of the secondary phase increased, and the ferrite grains were refined. Regression analysis was used to find out the equations for predicting mechanical properties based on the volume fraction of the secondary phase and grain size, following the annealing temperature. The hardening mechanism of the dual phase steel grades for the states they reached was described by the relationship between the strain-hardening exponent and the density of dislocations. This allows for the designing of dual phase steel grades that are “tailored” to the needs of the automotive industry customers.

  6. Phase transformation, morphology evolution and luminescence property variation in Y2O3: Eu hollow microspheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Qin; Guo, Jing; Jia, Wenjing; Liu, Baocang; Zhang, Jun

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We report a general and facile method for the synthesis of Y 2 O 3 : Eu hollow microspheres. ► This method may be of great significance in the synthesis of many other hollow spherical materials. ► Phase, morphology and luminescence property were found to be strongly dependent on temperature and pH. ► The evolution process under various temperatures and pH values were discussed. ► The sample shows a strong red emission under short UV irradiation, and the lifetime is determined to be 7.0 ms. - Abstract: Y 2 O 3 : Eu hollow microspheres with average size of 500–600 nm have been successfully synthesized via a solvothermal method in the presence of sodium citrate as surfactant followed by a subsequent heat treatment process. High polymer F127(EO 106 PO 70 EO 106 ) served as a soft template in the formation of as prepared hollow microspheres. It is found that the pH values and the reaction temperature are two crucial factors in determining the phase, morphology and luminescence properties of the Y 2 O 3 : Eu hollow microspheres. Morphology evolution can be achieved by changing the pH and the reaction temperature. The properties of the Eu 3+ -doped Y 2 O 3 : Eu nanocrystals were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, HR-TEM and UV–vis spectroscopy.

  7. Phased array compaction cell for measurement of the transversely isotropic elastic properties of compacting sediments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nihei, K.T.; Nakagawa, S.; Reverdy, F.; Meyer, L.R.; Duranti, L.; Ball, G.

    2010-12-15

    Sediments undergoing compaction typically exhibit transversely isotropic (TI) elastic properties. We present a new experimental apparatus, the phased array compaction cell, for measuring the TI elastic properties of clay-rich sediments during compaction. This apparatus uses matched sets of P- and S-wave ultrasonic transducers located along the sides of the sample and an ultrasonic P-wave phased array source, together with a miniature P-wave receiver on the top and bottom ends of the sample. The phased array measurements are used to form plane P-waves that provide estimates of the phase velocities over a range of angles. From these measurements, the five TI elastic constants can be recovered as the sediment is compacted, without the need for sample unloading, recoring, or reorienting. This paper provides descriptions of the apparatus, the data processing, and an application demonstrating recovery of the evolving TI properties of a compacting marine sediment sample.

  8. Insulator-metal transition in substrate-independent VO2 thin film for phase-change devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taha, Mohammad; Walia, Sumeet; Ahmed, Taimur; Headland, Daniel; Withayachumnankul, Withawat; Sriram, Sharath; Bhaskaran, Madhu

    2017-12-20

    Vanadium has 11 oxide phases, with the binary VO 2 presenting stimuli-dependent phase transitions that manifest as switchable electronic and optical features. An elevated temperature induces an insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) as the crystal reorients from a monoclinic state (insulator) to a tetragonal arrangement (metallic). This transition is accompanied by a simultaneous change in optical properties making VO 2 a versatile optoelectronic material. However, its deployment in scalable devices suffers because of the requirement of specialised substrates to retain the functionality of the material. Sensitivity to oxygen concentration and larger-scale VO 2 synthesis have also been standing issues in VO 2 fabrication. Here, we address these major challenges in harnessing the functionality in VO 2 by demonstrating an approach that enables crystalline, switchable VO 2 on any substrate. Glass, silicon, and quartz are used as model platforms to show the effectiveness of the process. Temperature-dependent electrical and optical characterisation is used demonstrating three to four orders of magnitude in resistive switching, >60% chromic discrimination at infrared wavelengths, and terahertz property extraction. This capability will significantly broaden the horizon of applications that have been envisioned but remained unrealised due to the lack of ability to realise VO 2 on any substrate, thereby exploiting its untapped potential.

  9. Metal-Insulator Transition Driven by Vacancy Ordering in GeSbTe Phase Change Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bragaglia, Valeria; Arciprete, Fabrizio; Zhang, Wei; Mio, Antonio Massimiliano; Zallo, Eugenio; Perumal, Karthick; Giussani, Alessandro; Cecchi, Stefano; Boschker, Jos Emiel; Riechert, Henning; Privitera, Stefania; Rimini, Emanuele; Mazzarello, Riccardo; Calarco, Raffaella

    2016-04-01

    Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are unique compounds employed in non-volatile random access memory thanks to the rapid and reversible transformation between the amorphous and crystalline state that display large differences in electrical and optical properties. In addition to the amorphous-to-crystalline transition, experimental results on polycrystalline GeSbTe alloys (GST) films evidenced a Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT) attributed to disorder in the crystalline phase. Here we report on a fundamental advance in the fabrication of GST with out-of-plane stacking of ordered vacancy layers by means of three distinct methods: Molecular Beam Epitaxy, thermal annealing and application of femtosecond laser pulses. We assess the degree of vacancy ordering and explicitly correlate it with the MIT. We further tune the ordering in a controlled fashion attaining a large range of resistivity. Employing ordered GST might allow the realization of cells with larger programming windows.

  10. Metal - Insulator Transition Driven by Vacancy Ordering in GeSbTe Phase Change Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bragaglia, Valeria; Arciprete, Fabrizio; Zhang, Wei; Mio, Antonio Massimiliano; Zallo, Eugenio; Perumal, Karthick; Giussani, Alessandro; Cecchi, Stefano; Boschker, Jos Emiel; Riechert, Henning; Privitera, Stefania; Rimini, Emanuele; Mazzarello, Riccardo; Calarco, Raffaella

    2016-04-01

    Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are unique compounds employed in non-volatile random access memory thanks to the rapid and reversible transformation between the amorphous and crystalline state that display large differences in electrical and optical properties. In addition to the amorphous-to-crystalline transition, experimental results on polycrystalline GeSbTe alloys (GST) films evidenced a Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT) attributed to disorder in the crystalline phase. Here we report on a fundamental advance in the fabrication of GST with out-of-plane stacking of ordered vacancy layers by means of three distinct methods: Molecular Beam Epitaxy, thermal annealing and application of femtosecond laser pulses. We assess the degree of vacancy ordering and explicitly correlate it with the MIT. We further tune the ordering in a controlled fashion attaining a large range of resistivity. Employing ordered GST might allow the realization of cells with larger programming windows.

  11. Controllable biomimetic adhesion using embedded phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krahn, J; Sameoto, D; Menon, C

    2011-01-01

    In many cases, such as in the instance of climbing robots or temporary adhesives, there is the need to be able to dynamically control the level of adhesion a biomimetic dry adhesive can provide. In this study, the effect of changing the backing layer stiffness of a dry adhesive is examined. Embedding a phase change material within the backing of a synthetic dry adhesive sheet allows the stiffness to be tailored at different points of a preload and adhesion cycle. Larger contact areas and more equal load sharing between adhesive fibres can be achieved by increasing the backing layer stiffness after initial deformation when the adhesive backing is loaded in its softened state. Adhesion behaviour is examined when the backing layer is maintained in solid and softened phases during complete load cycles and for load cycles under the condition of contact with the softened phase backing followed by pull-off during the solid phase. Absolute adhesion force is increased for trials in which a soft backing layer hardens prior to pull-off. This effect is due to the increased contact area made between the rounded probe and the softened material during preloading and the more equal load sharing condition during pull-off when the backing layer becomes stiff again

  12. Nonlinear Changes in Soil Properties and Their Impact on Ecosystems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chadwick, O. A.; Chorover, J. D.

    2001-12-01

    Soils are open systems that act as a membrane at Earth's surface. Water and dissolved acids are the main materials transferred into soils, whereas water and lithogenic solutes dominate the output with the net result being depletion of rock forming constituents such as silica and base cations that are also ecosystem nutrients. The time-dependent coupling of water flux and chemical reactions determines the nature of the colloidal phase that is responsible for nutrient retention. Pedogenesis is a biogeochemical process that is constrained by thermodynamics, but still maintains considerable flexibility as a result of parallel reaction kinetics and a spatially heterogeneous matrix. In the open system, there are many processes that are governed by nonlinear response to changes in environmental variables and/or internal soil properties. From a thermodynamic perspective, the chemistry of pedogenesis is characterized by a number of thresholds. Simultaneous acid-base, ion exchange, redox and mineral transformation reactions interact to determine the direction and rate of change. Over time, the reaction of atmospheric acids with soil bases changes the acid neutralizing capacity of soil to an extent that is controlled by the prevailing buffering reactions. The amount of buffering reaction and effect on pH depend on the nature of the reactive species, their relative amounts, and their respective rates of reaction. Ion exchange and surface complexation reactions consume protons in the short term but long-term buffering derives from mineral weathering. The nature of the governing reactions is such that soils are well buffered to pH change in the alkaline and acid regions but far less so in the neutral to slightly acid zones. In an analogous fashion, organic matter may drive oxidation-reduction processes through a stepwise consumption of electron acceptors (thereby producing thresholds). Mineralogical change tends to occur in a serial, irreversible fashion that, under favorable

  13. Stress-Induced Crystallization of Ge-Doped Sb Phase-Change Thin Films

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eising, Gert; Pauza, Andrew; Kooi, Bart J.

    The large effects of moderate stresses on the crystal growth rate in Ge-doped Sb phase-change thin films are demonstrated using direct optical imaging. For Ge6Sb94 and Ge7Sb93 phase-change films, a large increase in crystallization temperature is found when using a polycarbonate substrate instead of

  14. Structural phase transition and electronic properties in samarium chalcogenides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Panwar, Y. S., E-mail: yspanwar2011@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Govt. New Science College Dewas-455001 (India); Aynyas, Mahendra [Department of Physics, C.S.A. Govt. P.G. College, Sehore, 466001 (India); Pataiya, J.; Sanyal, Sankar P. [Department of Physics, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, 462026 (India)

    2016-05-06

    The electronic structure and high pressure properties of samarium monochalcogenides SmS, SmSe and SmTe have been reported by using tight binding linear muffin-tin-orbital (TB-LMTO) method within the local density approximation (LDA). The total energy as a function of volume is evaluated. It is found that these monochalcogenides are stable in NaCl-type structure under ambient pressure. We predict a structural phase transition from NaCl-type (B{sub 1}-phase) structure to CsCl-type (B{sub 2}-type) structure for these compounds. Phase transition pressures were found to be 1.7, 4.4 and 6.6 GPa, for SmS, SmSe and SmTe respectively. Apart from this, the lattice parameter (a{sub 0}), bulk modulus (B{sub 0}), band structure (BS) and density of states (DOS) are calculated. From energy band diagram we observed that these compounds exhibit metallic character. The calculated values of equilibrium lattice parameter and phase transition pressure are in general good agreement with available data.

  15. Visualising phase change in a brushite-based calcium phosphate ceramic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bannerman, A.; Williams, R. L.; Cox, S. C.; Grover, L. M.

    2016-09-01

    The resorption of brushite-based bone cements has been shown to be highly unpredictable, with strong dependence on a number of conditions. One of the major factors is phase transformation, with change to more stable phases such as hydroxyapatite affecting the rate of resorption. Despite its importance, the analysis of phase transformation has been largely undertaken using methods that only detect crystalline composition and give no information on the spatial distribution of the phases. In this study confocal Raman microscopy was used to map cross-sections of brushite cylinders aged in Phosphate Buffered Saline, Foetal Bovine Serum, Dulbecco’s - Minimum Essential Medium (with and without serum). Image maps showed the importance of ageing medium on the phase composition throughout the ceramic structure. When aged without serum, there was dissolution of the brushite phase concomitant to the deposition of octacalcium phosphate (OCP) around the periphery of the sample. The deposition of OCP was detectable within five days and reduced the rate of brushite dissolution from the material. The use of serum, even at a concentration of 10vol% prevented phase transformation. This paper demonstrates the value of confocal Raman microscopy in monitoring phase change in biocements; it also demonstrates the problems with assessing material degradation in non-serum containing media.

  16. Preparation, morphology and thermal properties of electrospun fatty acid eutectics/polyethylene terephthalate form-stable phase change ultrafine composite fibers for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai Yibing; Ke Huizhen; Lin Liang; Fei Xiuzhu; Wei Qufu; Song Lei; Hu Yuan; Fong Hao

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Electrospun binary fatty acid eutectics/PET ultrafine composite fibers were prepared. ► Fatty acid eutectics had appropriate phase transition temperature and heat enthalpy. ► Their morphological structures and thermal properties were different from each other. ► Composite fibers could be innovative form-stable PCMs for thermal energy storage. - Abstract: The ultrafine composite fibers based on the composites of binary fatty acid eutectics and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with varied fatty acid eutectics/PET mass ratios (50/100, 70/100, 100/100 and 120/100) were fabricated using the technique of electrospinning as form-stable phase change materials (PCMs). The five binary fatty acid eutectics including LA–MA, LA–PA, MA–PA, MA–SA and PA–SA were prepared according to Schrader equation, and then were selected as an innovative type of solid–liquid PCMs. The results characterized by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) indicated that the prepared binary fatty acid eutectics with low phase transition temperatures and high heat enthalpies for climatic requirements were more suitable for applications in building energy storage. The structural morphologies, thermal energy storage and thermal stability properties of the ultrafine composite fibers were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), DSC and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. SEM images revealed that the electrospun binary fatty acid eutectics/PET ultrafine composite fibers possessed the wrinkled surfaces morphologies compared with the neat PET fibers with cylindrical shape and smooth surfaces; the grooves or ridges on the corrugated surface of the ultrafine composite fibers became more and more prominent with increasing fatty acid eutectics amount in the composite fibers. The fibers with the low mass ratio maintained good structural morphologies while the quality became worse when the mass ratio is too high (more than 100/100). DSC measurements

  17. Shape stabilised phase change materials (SSPCMs): High density polyethylene and hydrocarbon waxes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mu, Mulan, E-mail: mmu01@qub.ac.uk, E-mail: m.basheer@qub.ac.uk; Basheer, P. A. M., E-mail: mmu01@qub.ac.uk, E-mail: m.basheer@qub.ac.uk [School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Queen' s University Belfast, BT9 5AG (United Kingdom); Bai, Yun, E-mail: yun.bai@ucl.ac.uk [Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); McNally, Tony, E-mail: t.mcnally@warwick.ac.uk [WMG, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL (United Kingdom)

    2014-05-15

    Shape stabilised phase change materials (SSPCMs) based on high density polyethylene (HDPE) with high (HPW, T{sub m}=56-58 °C) and low (L-PW, T{sub m}=18-23 °C) melting point waxes were prepared by melt-mixing in a twin-screw extruder and their potential in latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) applications for housing assessed. The structure and morphology of these blends were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both H-PW and L-PW were uniformly distributed throughout the HDPE matrix. The melting point and latent heat of the SSPCMs were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results demonstrated that both H-PW and L-PW have a plasticisation effect on the HDPE matrix. The tensile and flexural properties of the samples were measured at room temperature (RT, 20±2 °C) and 70 °C, respectively. All mechanical properties of HDPE/H-PW and HDPE/L-PW blends decreased from RT to 70 °C. In all instances at RT, modulus and stress, irrespective of the mode of deformation was greater for the HDPE/H-PW blends. However, at 70 °C, there was no significant difference in mechanical properties between the HDPE/H-PW and HDPE/L-PW blends.

  18. Thermophysical Characterization of MgCl₂·6H₂O, Xylitol and Erythritol as Phase Change Materials (PCM) for Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage (LHTES).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Höhlein, Stephan; König-Haagen, Andreas; Brüggemann, Dieter

    2017-04-24

    The application range of existing real scale mobile thermal storage units with phase change materials (PCM) is restricted by the low phase change temperature of 58 ∘ C for sodium acetate trihydrate, which is a commonly used storage material. Therefore, only low temperature heat sinks like swimming pools or greenhouses can be supplied. With increasing phase change temperatures, more applications like domestic heating or industrial process heat could be operated. The aim of this study is to find alternative PCM with phase change temperatures between 90 and 150 ∘ C . Temperature dependent thermophysical properties like phase change temperatures and enthalpies, densities and thermal diffusivities are measured for the technical grade purity materials xylitol (C 5 H 12 O 5 ), erythritol (C 4 H 10 O 4 ) and magnesiumchloride hexahydrate (MCHH, MgCl 2 · 6H 2 O). The sugar alcohols xylitol and erythritol indicate a large supercooling and different melting regimes. The salt hydrate MgCl 2 · 6H 2 O seems to be a suitable candidate for practical applications. It has a melting temperature of 115.1 ± 0.1 ∘ C and a phase change enthalpy of 166.9 ± 1.2 J / g with only 2.8 K supercooling at sample sizes of 100 g . The PCM is stable over 500 repeated melting and solidification cycles at differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) scale with only small changes of the melting enthalpy and temperature.

  19. Detailed Investigation of the Structural, Thermal, and Electronic Properties of Gold Isocyanide Complexes with Mechano-Triggered Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Phase Transitions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seki, Tomohiro; Sakurada, Kenta; Muromoto, Mai; Seki, Shu; Ito, Hajime

    2016-02-01

    Mechano-induced phase transitions in organic crystalline materials, which can alter their properties, have received much attention. However, most mechano-responsive molecular crystals exhibit crystal-to-amorphous phase transitions, and the intermolecular interaction patterns in the daughter phase are difficult to characterize. We have investigated phenyl(phenylisocyanide)gold(I) (1) and phenyl(3,5-dimethylphenylisocyanide)gold(I) (2) complexes, which exhibit a mechano-triggered single-crystal-to-single-crystal phase transition. Previous reports of complexes 1 and 2 have focused on the relationships between the crystalline structures and photoluminescence properties; in this work we have focused on other aspects. The face index measurements of complexes 1 and 2 before and after the mechano-induced phase transitions have indicated that they undergo non-epitaxial phase transitions without a rigorous orientational relationship between the mother and daughter phases. Differential scanning calorimetry analyses revealed the phase transition of complex 1 to be enthalpically driven by the formation of new aurophilic interactions. In contrast, the phase transition of complex 2 was found to be entropically driven, with the closure of an empty void in the mother phase. Scanning electron microscopy observation showed that the degree of the charging effect of both complexes 1 and 2 was changed by the phase transitions, which suggests that the formation of the aurophilic interactions affords more effective conductive pathways. Moreover, flash-photolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements revealed that complex 1 increased in conductivity after the phase change, whereas the conductivity of complex 2 decreased. These contrasting results were explained by the different patterns in the aurophilic interactions. Finally, an intriguing disappearing polymorphism of complex 2 has been reported, in which a polymorph form could not be obtained again after some period of time

  20. Relationship between phase development and swelling of AISI 316 during temperature changes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, W.J.S.; Garner, F.A.

    1982-04-01

    The effect of temperature changes on radiation-induced swelling and phase development of AISI 316 has been examined for specimens irradiated in two different experiments. The formation of radiation-stable phases at low temperature appears to precede swelling but these phases tend to dissolve when subsequently subjected to higher temperature. Phases which develop at high temperature persist when the temperature is subsequently lowered. Once nucleated at low temperatures, voids tend to persist without reduction in density at higher temperatures. However, a new round of void nucleation occurs when the temperature is decreased during irradiation. If the swelling has entered the steady-state swelling regime prior to the temperature change, there is no effect on the subsequent swelling rate. For temperature changes that occur before the end of the transient swelling regime, substantial changes can occur in the swelling behavior, particularly if the changes occur in the range around 500 0 . The isothermal swelling behavior of AISI 316 is much less sensitive to irradiation temperature than previously envisioned