Activated carbon derived from pine cone as framework for the preparation of n-heptadecane nanocomposite for thermal energy storage medium

This study deals with fabrication of activated carbon (AC) through physical and chemicalactivation methods using pine cone as precursor, followed by the use of the AC as an inorganicframework for the preparation of phase change material (PCM) nanocomposite. The PCMnanocomposite, composed of n-heptadecane as the core and AC pores as framework, wasfabricated by one step impregnation method, with the mass fraction of n-heptadecane varyingfrom 10 to 90 wt.%. The AC has specific surface area of 905 m2/g and an average pore size of25 Å. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results clearly showthat the n-heptadecane was encapsulated into the AC pores. The present research provides newPCM nanocomposite for thermal energy storage and energy conversion.

Keywords:

N-heptadecane , Nanocomposite , Activated carbon , Phase change material , Thermal energy storage , Energy conversion