Fabrication of form stable NaCl-Al₂O₃ composite for thermal energy storage by cold sintering process

Abstract

A form stable NaCl-Al₂O₃ (50-50 wt-%) composite material for high temperature thermal energy storage was fabricated by cold sintering process, a process recently applied to the densification of ceramics at low temperature ˂ 300°C under uniaxial pressure in the presence of small amount of transient liquid. The fabricated composite achieved as high as 98.65% of the theoretical density. The NaCl-Al₂O₃ composite also retained the chloride salt without leakage after 30 heating-cooling cycles between 750°C–850°C together with a holding period of 24 h at 850°C. X-ray diffraction measurements indicated congruent solubility of the alumina in chloride salt, excellent compatibility of NaCl with Al₂O₃, and chemical stability at high temperature. Structural analysis by scanning electron microscope also showed limited grain growth, high density, uniform NaCl distribution and clear faceted composite structure without inter-diffusion. The latent heat storage density of 252.5 J/g was obtained from simultaneous thermal analysis. Fracture strength test showed high sintered strength around 5 GPa after 50 min. The composite was found to have fair mass losses due to volatilization. Overall, cold sintering process has the potential to be an efficient, safe and cost-effective strategy for the fabrication of high temperature thermal energy storage materials.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

cold sintering process / composite fabrication / thermal energy storage / phase change materials

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