Microstructures and thermal properties of mono-sized AlSi particles prepared by pulsated orifice ejection method

Metallic materials for energy storage offer promising prospects for elevating energy conservation and efficiency. In this study, we successfully synthesized the AlSi alloy particles with different silicon contents as metallic phase-change materials for high-temperature thermal energy storage by pulsated orifice ejection method (POEM). These particles were crucial to enhancing thermal storage performance, due to their smooth and dense surfaces, narrow particle size distributions, high sphericities, high purities, and uniform and fine-grained microstructures. They exhibited excellent thermal stability, high thermal conductivity, and high latent heat capacity. The melting enthalpy of the particles could reach a maximum of 505.41 J·g⁻¹. And the corresponding solidification enthalpy was 519.18 J·g⁻¹. Notably, the particles maintained high energy storage density and strong structural stability over multiple thermal cycles. The POEM-prepared particles demonstrate a significant potential in the field of phase-change energy storage, thus leading to substantial advantages in practical applications.