Effect of carbon nanotubes and nanodiamonds on the heat storage ability of natural rubber composites

Abstract

Phase change materials are utilized in heat storage applications, as they have high latent heat during the phase transition. In addition, high thermal conductivity is required from the heat storage materials to achieve high energy efficiency. In this study, the effect of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nanodiamonds (NDs) on the thermal conductivity and the heat storage capacity of the paraffin–natural rubber composites was studied. It was found that the CNTs work better than NDs in such composites. They increase thermal conductivity significantly and thus improve the heat transfer rate of the composite. They were also found to prevent the migration of paraffin out of the rubber during the vulcanization process, which increases the lifetime of the composite.