What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to evaluate the improvement of thermal properties in inorganic phase change materials by adding nanoparticles.

March 18, 2026Open Access

Evaluación experimental del comportamiento térmico de los PCM basados en Mg(NO3)2 después de la adición de nanopartículas para su mejora

FMFranklin R. MartínezUniversity of Antofagasta GZGabriel ZsembinszkiUniversitat de Lleida DVDavid VérezUniversitat de Lleida

Key Points

The research aims to evaluate the improvement of thermal properties in inorganic phase change materials by adding nanoparticles.
Experimental testing of binary eutectic mixtures in a lab-scale thermal energy storage unit.
Doping of eutectic mixtures with 3% nanoparticles of γ-Al2O3 and Mg(OH)2.
Monitoring of melting and solidification cycles within a 30 °C to 70 °C temperature range.
Reduction of subcooling from 3.5 °C to 2 °C in Mg(NO3)2·6H2O - NH4NO3 mixture.
Reduction of subcooling from 2 °C to 0 °C in Mg(NO3)2∙6H2O – MgCl2∙6H2O mixture.
The commercial PCM exhibited a subcooling of 6 °C with no clear effect of additives on heat transfer rates.

Abstract

The use of phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage (TES) is attractive due to their high-energy storage density within a narrow temperature range. Inorganic PCMs such as salt hydrates and eutectic mixtures are attractive options, although they do have drawbacks like subcooling. This study investigates the addition of commercial nanoparticles in inorganic PCMs to improve the subcooling issue. Specifically, two binary eutectic mixture of Mg(NO3)2·6H2O - NH4NO3 (61.2-38.8wt.%), and Mg(NO3)2∙6H2O – MgCl2∙6H2O (used as natural bischofite) (50.7-49.3wt.%), and an inorganic commercial SP58 PCM were experimentally tested in a lab-scale shell-and-tube finned thermal energy storage unit. The two eutectic mixtures were doped with 3% of a mixture of nanoparticles of γ-Al2O3 and Mg(OH)2 (50-50wt.%) as additives. All resulting PCMs underwent melting and solidification cycles in a temperature range between 30 °C and 70 °C. Results show that the use of additives reduced the subcooling from 3.5 °C to 2 °C and from 2 °C to 0°C in the case of the Mg(NO3)2·6H2O - NH4NO3 and Mg(NO3)2∙6H2O – MgCl2∙6H2O mixtures, respectively. The commercial PCM exhibited a sub-cooling of 6 °C. Moreover, no clear effect of the additives was observed on the heat transfer rate during melting and crystallization processes, as discrepancies in the results were obtained.

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