Battery cells generate significant electronic waste, with zinc–carbon batteries discarded due to limited reuse and slow degradation from toxic components such as mercury, zinc, and ammonia. Recovering graphite from these spent cells provides a sustainable route to reduce environmental hazards while creating value-added materials for energy storage. This study examines organic PCMs enhanced with 1–3 wt% carbon recovered from waste batteries. XRD, FTIR, TEM, FESEM, BET, TGA, DSC analyses confirmed physical compatibility and clear phase coexistence, with smoother composite surfaces after carbon incorporation. Thermal conductivity increased to 0.86 W/mK, four times higher than pure paraffin, while latent heat showed only minor changes. After 500 cycles, XRD remained stable, though latent heat decreased by 23–32%. Heat-sink testing showed up to a 1.7-fold increase in operating time and a minimum thermal resistance of 1.222 °C/W at 3 wt%. The composites demonstrate strong potential for electronic cooling and solar-energy applications.
{"title":"Sustainable waste-to-energy strategy: Characterization and performance evaluation of a novel carbon/paraffin PCM for efficient thermal energy storage","authors":"Mridupavan Gogoi, Biplab Das, Promod Kumar Patowari","doi":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180210","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180210","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Battery cells generate significant electronic waste, with zinc–carbon batteries discarded due to limited reuse and slow degradation from toxic components such as mercury, zinc, and ammonia. Recovering graphite from these spent cells provides a sustainable route to reduce environmental hazards while creating value-added materials for energy storage. This study examines organic PCMs enhanced with 1–3 wt% carbon recovered from waste batteries. XRD, FTIR, TEM, FESEM, BET, TGA, DSC analyses confirmed physical compatibility and clear phase coexistence, with smoother composite surfaces after carbon incorporation. Thermal conductivity increased to 0.86 W/mK, four times higher than pure paraffin, while latent heat showed only minor changes. After 500 cycles, XRD remained stable, though latent heat decreased by 23–32%. Heat-sink testing showed up to a 1.7-fold increase in operating time and a minimum thermal resistance of 1.222 °C/W at 3 wt%. The composites demonstrate strong potential for electronic cooling and solar-energy applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23058,"journal":{"name":"Thermochimica Acta","volume":"756 ","pages":"Article 180210"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145926654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-10DOI: 10.1016/j.tca.2025.180200
A. Vidal-Crespo, A.F. Manchón-Gordón, J.J. Ipus, J.S. Blázquez
The temperature memory effect (TME) in MnCo0.97Fe0.03Ge shape memory alloy, fabricated as pellets via arc-melting, has been investigated once the martensite phase was stabilized at room temperature. The results revealed that TME appears during the reverse transformation of thermally induced martensite after incomplete transformation cycling, spanning the entire interval between the austenite start and finish temperatures. Although the reverse transformation temperature range can be broadened by kinetic interruption, restoring the sample to its relaxed state requires the completion of the transformation up to higher temperatures. This necessity must be considered for practical potential uses of these alloys as shape memory applications.
{"title":"Thermal memory effect in Mn(CoFe)Ge intermetallic compound","authors":"A. Vidal-Crespo, A.F. Manchón-Gordón, J.J. Ipus, J.S. Blázquez","doi":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180200","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180200","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The temperature memory effect (TME) in MnCo<sub>0.97</sub>Fe<sub>0.03</sub>Ge shape memory alloy, fabricated as pellets via arc-melting, has been investigated once the martensite phase was stabilized at room temperature. The results revealed that TME appears during the reverse transformation of thermally induced martensite after incomplete transformation cycling, spanning the entire interval between the austenite start and finish temperatures. Although the reverse transformation temperature range can be broadened by kinetic interruption, restoring the sample to its relaxed state requires the completion of the transformation up to higher temperatures. This necessity must be considered for practical potential uses of these alloys as shape memory applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23058,"journal":{"name":"Thermochimica Acta","volume":"756 ","pages":"Article 180200"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145798943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-22DOI: 10.1016/j.tca.2025.180205
Xiangyu Tong , Xiaowen Chen , Ning Chen , Bin Zhang , Xiaohu Wu
Gold nanoparticles based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) have been widely used in solar energy applications due to their excellent photothermal conversion properties. However, conventional nanostructures exhibit single-peak spectral responses and limited photothermal conversion efficiency, necessitating structural innovations to overcome the inherent limitations. Therefore, we have designed a novel class of framework-confined Au based nanocomposite structures. Compared with their mono-dispersions (cubic frame, nanosphere, and nanocylinder), the photothermal responses of framework-confined nanoparticles in the wavelength range of 300–1100 nm are significantly improved. In particular, the photothermal conversion efficiency of framework-confined nanocylinders is as high as 92.2 %. Electromagnetic field analysis shows that a framework with a tip structure coupled to an internal monomer achieves a multimodal surface plasmon resonance, leading to significant absorption. This work provides valuable insights into the design of nanoparticles with different conversion.
{"title":"Optimization of photothermal performance in framework-confined gold-based nanocomposite structures","authors":"Xiangyu Tong , Xiaowen Chen , Ning Chen , Bin Zhang , Xiaohu Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180205","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180205","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gold nanoparticles based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) have been widely used in solar energy applications due to their excellent photothermal conversion properties. However, conventional nanostructures exhibit single-peak spectral responses and limited photothermal conversion efficiency, necessitating structural innovations to overcome the inherent limitations. Therefore, we have designed a novel class of framework-confined Au based nanocomposite structures. Compared with their mono-dispersions (cubic frame, nanosphere, and nanocylinder), the photothermal responses of framework-confined nanoparticles in the wavelength range of 300–1100 nm are significantly improved. In particular, the photothermal conversion efficiency of framework-confined nanocylinders is as high as 92.2 %. Electromagnetic field analysis shows that a framework with a tip structure coupled to an internal monomer achieves a multimodal surface plasmon resonance, leading to significant absorption. This work provides valuable insights into the design of nanoparticles with different conversion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23058,"journal":{"name":"Thermochimica Acta","volume":"756 ","pages":"Article 180205"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145841242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-26DOI: 10.1016/j.tca.2025.180209
Yoshitomo Furushima , E․Billur Sevinis Ozbulut , Masaru Nakada , Rui Zhang , Katalee Jariyavidyanont , Mengxue Du , René Androsch , Christoph Schick , Akihiko Toda
A Thermal Gibbs-Thomson analysis for non-isothermal conditions is proposed to determine the equilibrium melting temperature of polymers based solely on thermal data which obtained during non-isothermal crystallization. This method extends the Thermal Gibbs-Thomson approach by utilizing the high-speed temperature control of Fast Scanning Calorimetry (FSC), allowing correction for thermal effects specific to non-isothermal conditions, such as melting followed by recrystallization and superheating. Melting and recrystallization are minimized through rapid heating, while superheating is addressed by analyzing the heating-rate dependence of the melting kinetics to extract the zero-entropy production melting temperature. The equilibrium melting temperature obtained through the Gibbs-Thomson analysis under non-isothermal conditions was found to be equivalent to the literature value calculated under isothermal conditions (as reported in the ATHAS database). Furthermore, we also conducted a Hoffman-Weeks analysis under non-isothermal conditions and successfully obtained an equilibrium melting temperature consistent with the literature values. These two non-isothermal approaches provide a practical and effective route for investigating the crystallization behavior of polymers under realistic processing conditions.
{"title":"Thermal Gibbs–Thomson and Hoffman-Weeks analysis for non-isothermal condition of polyethylene glycol","authors":"Yoshitomo Furushima , E․Billur Sevinis Ozbulut , Masaru Nakada , Rui Zhang , Katalee Jariyavidyanont , Mengxue Du , René Androsch , Christoph Schick , Akihiko Toda","doi":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180209","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180209","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A Thermal Gibbs-Thomson analysis for non-isothermal conditions is proposed to determine the equilibrium melting temperature of polymers based solely on thermal data which obtained during non-isothermal crystallization. This method extends the Thermal Gibbs-Thomson approach by utilizing the high-speed temperature control of Fast Scanning Calorimetry (FSC), allowing correction for thermal effects specific to non-isothermal conditions, such as melting followed by recrystallization and superheating. Melting and recrystallization are minimized through rapid heating, while superheating is addressed by analyzing the heating-rate dependence of the melting kinetics to extract the zero-entropy production melting temperature. The equilibrium melting temperature obtained through the Gibbs-Thomson analysis under non-isothermal conditions was found to be equivalent to the literature value calculated under isothermal conditions (as reported in the ATHAS database). Furthermore, we also conducted a Hoffman-Weeks analysis under non-isothermal conditions and successfully obtained an equilibrium melting temperature consistent with the literature values. These two non-isothermal approaches provide a practical and effective route for investigating the crystallization behavior of polymers under realistic processing conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23058,"journal":{"name":"Thermochimica Acta","volume":"756 ","pages":"Article 180209"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145926788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.tca.2025.180202
Yifan Wang , Wenzhe Zhang , Yubo Yin , Qingda Guo , Peizhi Yang , Huaqing Xie , Wei Yu
Traditional composite phase change materials suffer from issues such as leakage and insufficient flexibility, which significantly impair their performance in human skin temperature regulation and wearable thermal management applications. This study employs a sol-gel synergistic method to integrate n-octadecane, n-decanoic acid, and a three-dimensional styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) elastic network. This method results in the development of a phase change gel that combines leak-proof properties with flexibility. The SEBS framework securely locks the eutectic material within microscale pores, allowing the energy storage gel to maintain its integrity at temperatures as high as 80 °C. The material exhibits excellent tensile and compressive strengths, with stress values as high as 1.108 MPa and 1.120 MPa, respectively. This ensures that the material can deform freely without breaking when applied to the skin. In practical applications on human skin, the temperature of the wrist without the gel reached 45 °C within 120 s and continued to rise. In contrast, the temperature in the wearing area increased significantly more slowly, maintaining approximately 32 °C at 220 s and showing a noticeable temperature increase only after 600 s. These results demonstrate the material's excellent temperature control and insulation performance. This research has promising applications in high-temperature environments and localized thermal buffering.
{"title":"High mechanical strength flexible phase change gel: enhanced thermal buffering materials for human skin temperature control","authors":"Yifan Wang , Wenzhe Zhang , Yubo Yin , Qingda Guo , Peizhi Yang , Huaqing Xie , Wei Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180202","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180202","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Traditional composite phase change materials suffer from issues such as leakage and insufficient flexibility, which significantly impair their performance in human skin temperature regulation and wearable thermal management applications. This study employs a sol-gel synergistic method to integrate n-octadecane, n-decanoic acid, and a three-dimensional styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) elastic network. This method results in the development of a phase change gel that combines leak-proof properties with flexibility. The SEBS framework securely locks the eutectic material within microscale pores, allowing the energy storage gel to maintain its integrity at temperatures as high as 80 °C. The material exhibits excellent tensile and compressive strengths, with stress values as high as 1.108 MPa and 1.120 MPa, respectively. This ensures that the material can deform freely without breaking when applied to the skin. In practical applications on human skin, the temperature of the wrist without the gel reached 45 °C within 120 s and continued to rise. In contrast, the temperature in the wearing area increased significantly more slowly, maintaining approximately 32 °C at 220 s and showing a noticeable temperature increase only after 600 s. These results demonstrate the material's excellent temperature control and insulation performance. This research has promising applications in high-temperature environments and localized thermal buffering.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23058,"journal":{"name":"Thermochimica Acta","volume":"756 ","pages":"Article 180202"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145841241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1016/j.tca.2025.180199
Louis Desgrosseilliers , Nerea Uranga , Daniel Carbonell , Ignacio Gurruchaga
A concise power law reaction kinetic expression of reversible crystallization phase change was presented for use in global modelling of crystallization and nucleation kinetics of solid-liquid phase change materials (PCMs). This was developed as a closed form, wholly mechanistic expression of phase change kinetics essential to predict coupled heat-mass latent heat evolution in PCMs. This constituted a significant departure from the semi-empirical and phenomenological formulations that have so far dominated PCM sciences. Notably, the presented formulation expresses relative mass supersaturation as the fundamental driving force for phase change as opposed to relying on supercooling degree or temperature rate. In contrast to practice in the industrial crystallization process industry, it was postulated that crystal size population balances could be neglected in PCMs used for thermal storage due to averaging effects of crystal size population balances since the rates of latent heat evolution and heat transport are exclusively prioritized rather than yield of a desired crystal size.
A favourable formulation of the global power law crystallization kinetic model was obtained through evaluation against the 0D transient reference case derived from the cooling curve of manually seeded crystallization of 11 K supercooled 38.1 %mass NaCHO2 aqueous solution, yielding NaCHO2•3H2O(s), under development as a cold storage PCM. Values of apparent activation energies of nucleation and crystal growth and their respective pre-exponential rate constants were obtained by least-squares fitting of experimental cooling curve data. The power law kinetic model was also validated under isothermal conditions using the JMAK equation.
{"title":"Concise mechanistic model of phase change material solidification kinetics","authors":"Louis Desgrosseilliers , Nerea Uranga , Daniel Carbonell , Ignacio Gurruchaga","doi":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180199","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180199","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A concise power law reaction kinetic expression of reversible crystallization phase change was presented for use in global modelling of crystallization and nucleation kinetics of solid-liquid phase change materials (PCMs). This was developed as a closed form, wholly mechanistic expression of phase change kinetics essential to predict coupled heat-mass latent heat evolution in PCMs. This constituted a significant departure from the semi-empirical and phenomenological formulations that have so far dominated PCM sciences. Notably, the presented formulation expresses relative mass supersaturation as the fundamental driving force for phase change as opposed to relying on supercooling degree or temperature rate. In contrast to practice in the industrial crystallization process industry, it was postulated that crystal size population balances could be neglected in PCMs used for thermal storage due to averaging effects of crystal size population balances since the rates of latent heat evolution and heat transport are exclusively prioritized rather than yield of a desired crystal size.</div><div>A favourable formulation of the global power law crystallization kinetic model was obtained through evaluation against the 0D transient reference case derived from the cooling curve of manually seeded crystallization of 11 K supercooled 38.1 %mass NaCHO<sub>2</sub> aqueous solution, yielding NaCHO<sub>2</sub>•3H<sub>2</sub>O(s), under development as a cold storage PCM. Values of apparent activation energies of nucleation and crystal growth and their respective pre-exponential rate constants were obtained by least-squares fitting of experimental cooling curve data. The power law kinetic model was also validated under isothermal conditions using the JMAK equation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23058,"journal":{"name":"Thermochimica Acta","volume":"756 ","pages":"Article 180199"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145739049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-22DOI: 10.1016/j.tca.2025.180204
Chen Ding , Hongbing Zhang , Peizhao Liu , Wenbin Ding , Min Xu , Bin Meng
Osteoporotic fracture healing is orchestrated by the dynamic interplay between osteoblasts and osteoclasts, with microRNAs (miRNAs) serving as pivotal regulators of bone metabolism. This study aimed to elucidate the role of miR-34a-5p in osteoporotic fracture repair and its underlying molecular mechanisms. In vitro investigations demonstrated that miR-34a-5p suppresses osteoclast differentiation by directly targeting Foxp1, while concurrently mitigating Foxp1-mediated inhibition of osteoblast differentiation. Transcriptomic profiling of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts, revealed that miR-34a-5p modulates osteoblast differentiation predominantly via the Hippo/YAP signaling axis, a finding further corroborated by Western blot, underscoring its central role in osteogenic regulation. In an ovariectomized (OVX) mouse femoral fracture model, local administration of miR-34a-5p mimics at the fracture site markedly accelerated bone repair. Micro-CT assessment demonstrated significant enhancement in bone volume and trabecular microarchitecture, while histological evaluations confirmed the expedited progression of bone regeneration. Collectively, these findings establish that miR-34a-5p orchestrates osteoblast and osteoclast activity through Foxp1 targeting and directly promotes osteoblast differentiation via the Hippo/YAP pathway, providing mechanistic insights and identifying potential therapeutic targets for miRNA-based strategies in bone repair.
{"title":"miR-34a-5p accelerates osteoporotic fracture healing by suppressing Foxp1 and modulating hippo/YAP-mediated bone remodeling","authors":"Chen Ding , Hongbing Zhang , Peizhao Liu , Wenbin Ding , Min Xu , Bin Meng","doi":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180204","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180204","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Osteoporotic fracture healing is orchestrated by the dynamic interplay between osteoblasts and osteoclasts, with microRNAs (miRNAs) serving as pivotal regulators of bone metabolism. This study aimed to elucidate the role of miR-34a-5p in osteoporotic fracture repair and its underlying molecular mechanisms. In vitro investigations demonstrated that miR-34a-5p suppresses osteoclast differentiation by directly targeting Foxp1, while concurrently mitigating Foxp1-mediated inhibition of osteoblast differentiation. Transcriptomic profiling of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts, revealed that miR-34a-5p modulates osteoblast differentiation predominantly via the Hippo/YAP signaling axis, a finding further corroborated by Western blot, underscoring its central role in osteogenic regulation. In an ovariectomized (OVX) mouse femoral fracture model, local administration of miR-34a-5p mimics at the fracture site markedly accelerated bone repair. Micro-CT assessment demonstrated significant enhancement in bone volume and trabecular microarchitecture, while histological evaluations confirmed the expedited progression of bone regeneration. Collectively, these findings establish that miR-34a-5p orchestrates osteoblast and osteoclast activity through Foxp1 targeting and directly promotes osteoblast differentiation via the Hippo/YAP pathway, providing mechanistic insights and identifying potential therapeutic targets for miRNA-based strategies in bone repair.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23058,"journal":{"name":"Thermochimica Acta","volume":"756 ","pages":"Article 180204"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145926787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-26DOI: 10.1016/j.tca.2025.180207
Zexin He, Yubo Tan, Yubin Zhuang, Wei Liu, Zhichun Liu
The development of sustainable and high-performance phase change materials (PCMs) is essential for efficient thermal energy storage and management. In this work, pine wood and balsa wood were used as biomass precursors to fabricate porous carbon matrices through delignification, chemical activation, and carbonization. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was introduced to reinforce the carbon framework and improve structural stability, while polyethylene glycol (PEG-4000) served as the phase change medium. The resulting shape-stabilized composite PCMs were systematically characterized using SEM, BET, FTIR, XRD, DSC, TGA, and thermal conductivity measurements
The SEM and BET analyses revealed that activation and carbonization significantly enhanced pore connectivity and surface area, providing efficient pathways for PEG impregnation. FTIR spectra confirmed physical encapsulation and hydrogen bonding interactions between PEG and the carbon matrix. DSC results demonstrated that the composites exhibited high latent heat values (up to 138.23 kJ·kg⁻¹) and stable melting–solidification behavior, with minimal influence from PVA content. Balsa-derived composites showed higher enthalpy and thermal conductivity (0.55 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹) than pine-derived counterparts due to their more ordered porous structures. TGA results indicated improved thermal stability, with decomposition temperatures increasing from 194 °C for pure PEG to above 300 °C for the composites.
Overall, the incorporation of biomass-derived porous carbon effectively suppressed leakage, enhanced thermal conductivity, and maintained high latent heat storage, demonstrating strong potential for eco-friendly and durable thermal energy storage applications.
{"title":"Preparation and characterization of porous carbon-based composite phase change materials based on wood biomass","authors":"Zexin He, Yubo Tan, Yubin Zhuang, Wei Liu, Zhichun Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180207","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180207","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of sustainable and high-performance phase change materials (PCMs) is essential for efficient thermal energy storage and management. In this work, pine wood and balsa wood were used as biomass precursors to fabricate porous carbon matrices through delignification, chemical activation, and carbonization. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was introduced to reinforce the carbon framework and improve structural stability, while polyethylene glycol (PEG-4000) served as the phase change medium. The resulting shape-stabilized composite PCMs were systematically characterized using SEM, BET, FTIR, XRD, DSC, TGA, and thermal conductivity measurements</div><div>The SEM and BET analyses revealed that activation and carbonization significantly enhanced pore connectivity and surface area, providing efficient pathways for PEG impregnation. FTIR spectra confirmed physical encapsulation and hydrogen bonding interactions between PEG and the carbon matrix. DSC results demonstrated that the composites exhibited high latent heat values (up to 138.23 kJ·kg⁻¹) and stable melting–solidification behavior, with minimal influence from PVA content. Balsa-derived composites showed higher enthalpy and thermal conductivity (0.55 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹) than pine-derived counterparts due to their more ordered porous structures. TGA results indicated improved thermal stability, with decomposition temperatures increasing from 194 °C for pure PEG to above 300 °C for the composites.</div><div>Overall, the incorporation of biomass-derived porous carbon effectively suppressed leakage, enhanced thermal conductivity, and maintained high latent heat storage, demonstrating strong potential for eco-friendly and durable thermal energy storage applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23058,"journal":{"name":"Thermochimica Acta","volume":"756 ","pages":"Article 180207"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145926785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-11-21DOI: 10.1016/j.tca.2025.180193
Xingjia Liu , Shanyang Wei , Hongyu Yang , Hao Wang , Xingjie Wu , Peng Wei
This study investigates the fire spread mechanisms and smoke movement in underground utility tunnels using Copper core rubber insulated rubber sheathed cable (YC) and Copper core cross-linked polyethylene insulated polyvinyl chloride sheathed cable (YJV) through thermogravimetric analysis (TG-DTG), cone calorimetry, Raman spectroscopy, and scaled model tests. Results indicate that Copper core cross-linked polyethylene insulated polyvinyl chloride sheathed cable exhibits lower thermal stability than Copper core rubber insulated rubber sheathed cable, with higher initial pyrolysis temperature (314.6–329.1 °C) but greater weight loss (60–63 %) due to crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) decomposition and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) dechlorination. Under 30–40 kW/m² radiation, Copper core cross-linked polyethylene insulated polyvinyl chloride sheathed cable ignites 67 % faster than Copper core rubber insulated rubber sheathed cable, with reduced the peak heat release rate (peak-HRR), total heat release (THR), total smoke generation (TSP) (18.56 m²), and CO/CO₂ yield. Plugging rate significantly influences temperature distribution, with a maximum ceiling temperature of 684.8 °C at 20 % plugging rate, enhancing flame spread and smoke flow inclination. Ventilation causes asymmetric ceiling temperatures, with the left side exceeding the right by 21–35 %. These findings support fire risk assessment and prevention strategies for urban underground utility tunnels.
{"title":"Effects of ventilation and plugging rate on fire spread and smoke migration of cables in an underground utility tunnel","authors":"Xingjia Liu , Shanyang Wei , Hongyu Yang , Hao Wang , Xingjie Wu , Peng Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180193","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tca.2025.180193","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the fire spread mechanisms and smoke movement in underground utility tunnels using Copper core rubber insulated rubber sheathed cable (YC) and Copper core cross-linked polyethylene insulated polyvinyl chloride sheathed cable (YJV) through thermogravimetric analysis (TG-DTG), cone calorimetry, Raman spectroscopy, and scaled model tests. Results indicate that Copper core cross-linked polyethylene insulated polyvinyl chloride sheathed cable exhibits lower thermal stability than Copper core rubber insulated rubber sheathed cable, with higher initial pyrolysis temperature (314.6–329.1 °C) but greater weight loss (60–63 %) due to crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) decomposition and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) dechlorination. Under 30–40 kW/m² radiation, Copper core cross-linked polyethylene insulated polyvinyl chloride sheathed cable ignites 67 % faster than Copper core rubber insulated rubber sheathed cable, with reduced the peak heat release rate (peak-HRR), total heat release (THR), total smoke generation (TSP) (18.56 m²), and CO/CO₂ yield. Plugging rate significantly influences temperature distribution, with a maximum ceiling temperature of 684.8 °C at 20 % plugging rate, enhancing flame spread and smoke flow inclination. Ventilation causes asymmetric ceiling temperatures, with the left side exceeding the right by 21–35 %. These findings support fire risk assessment and prevention strategies for urban underground utility tunnels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23058,"journal":{"name":"Thermochimica Acta","volume":"756 ","pages":"Article 180193"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145712183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-29DOI: 10.1016/j.tca.2025.180208
Hao Yao , Yuandong Xiong , Aki Koskela , Timo Fabritius , Mamdouh Omran
Five different Finnish biomass sources were subjected to thermal degradation analyses and Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis to understand their pyrolytic behavior for bioenergy production. The pyrolysis experiments were carried out using a pure nitrogen atmosphere at three different heating rates (10, 15, 20 K min−1). In the pyrolysis process, the primary volatiles released were CO₂, CO, CH₄, H2O, and CH₃OH, along with their release patterns. Grass (GR) exhibited high thermal stability and lower activation energies (43.245–297.865 kJ/mol). Bark (BK) had an extended passive stage with moderate activation energies (66.947–319.685 kJ/mol) and is suitable for producing biochar. Sawdust (SD) exhibited distinct three-stage endothermic peaks with higher activation energies (69.343–335.280 kJ/mol) and is ideal for maximizing oil and gas yields. Straw (ST) demonstrated delayed pyrolysis compared to SD (71.961–287.998 kJ/mol). Fiber reject (FJ) had a single prominent peak with the lowest activation energies (33.156–286.429 kJ/mol), which makes it ideal for rapid pyrolysis at lower temperatures.
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