Thermal Characterization of Beeswax Based Phase Change Material Composite with 9 wt % TiO2 additive
Ratni Sirait (a), Syahrul Humaidi (b*), Erna Frida (b), Anggito P. Tetuko (c*), Amdy Fachredzy (c), Muhammad A.H. Nabawi (c), Wiwiek Utami Dewi (d) Rizky Sutrisna (d)

a) Postgraduate Program Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jl Bioteknologi I Kampus USU, Medan, 20155, Indonesia
b) Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jl. Bioteknologi I Kampus USU, Medan, 20155, Indonesia
*syahrul1[at]usu.ac.id
c) Research Center for Energy Materials, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Tangerang Selatan, 15314, Banten, Indonesia
*angg005[at]brin.go.id
d) Research Center for Rocket Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Rumpin, Kabupaten Bogor, 16350, Jawa Barat, Indonesia

Abstract

Beeswax is a phase change material (PCM) derived from renewable source. It is process good chemical stability and a high latent heat storage capacity, making it a promising candidate for low temperature thermal energy storage and passive thermal management applications. However, the relatively low thermal conductivity of beeswax limits its heat absorption and release rates. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the thermal characteristics of a beeswax based PCM composites with 9 wt % TiO2 added. The beeswax/TiO2 composite was prepared using the melt blending method, followed by ultrasonication to improve particle dispersion. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicated that the latent heat of beeswax decreased slightly from 152.44 J/g to 149.19 J/g after the addition of 9 wt % TiO2, representing a decrease of 2.13 %. This decrease indicates that the beeswax/TiO2 composite is still capable of maintaining its performance as a thermal energy storage material. Thermogravimetric analysis/derivative thermogravity (TGA/DTG) revealed an increase in thermal stability, as evidenced by an increase in the peak degradation temperature from 406.34 Celcius to 414.38 Celcius. In addition, the thermal conductivity increased from 0.3755 W/mK to 0.4288 W/mK after the addition of TiO2. The experimental results agreed well with the Maxwell Garnett model prediction of 0.3999 W/mK. This indicates that the addition of 9 wt % TiO2 effectively enhances heat transfer through the formation of conductive pathways while maintaining a high latent heat storage capacity, thereby potentially improving the thermal performance in thermal management applications as a passive cooling system.

Keywords: Phase Change Material- Beeswax- TiO2- Thermal properties- Model Maxwell Garnett

Topic: Material Physics