Preparation of CuO Nanoparticles and Their Applications in Phase Change Composites

We synthesized CuO nanoparticles by a mild method using CuSO₄ and NaOH. We prepared the phase change nanocomposites CuO/paraffin wax and applied various analytical methods to characterize the composites. The results showed that composites have almost equal phase change temperature to paraffin wax. The composites have lower latent heat thermal energy storage capacity than paraffin wax while the composite increased the latent heat thermal energy storage capacity with the mass fraction of the nanoparticles. The thermal conductivity of the nanocomposites was increased with the mass fraction of the nanoparticles. This study provides a promising way to prepare thermal transport enhanced phase change composites with optimal thermal properties.