Characterization and experimental study on novel nano-enhanced binary phase change material for cold chain logistics

Novel nano-enhanced phase change materials (NEPCMs) for vaccine storage applications have been developed for vaccine transportation. Phase change materials(PCMs) are highly regarded due to their excellent heat storage capacities and their ability to operate within a limited temperature range. Nonetheless, their low thermal conductivity restricts their applicability. A binary mixture of caprylic acid (CL) and capric acid (CA) with a weight fraction of 58:42 was developed for the passive cooling application. The CL-CA binary mixture exhibits a melting enthalpy (H_m) of 119.07 Jg^− 1 and a melting temperature (T_m) of 7.66°C. Boron nitride (BN) was used as a thermal conductivity enhancer for the above binary mixture. BN was added in various weight percentages of 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% in the binary mixture to develop NEPCMs. There was an improvement of 12.1% in thermal conductivity for 2% BN from the base binary mixture. Furthermore, thermal cycling has been done and the samples have maintained stability and phase change characteristics as confirmed using FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), thermal conductivity, and DSC (Differential scanning calorimetry).