A review of metallic materials for latent heat thermal energy storage: Thermophysical properties, applications, and challenges

Phase change materials provide desirable characteristics for latent heat thermal energy storage by keeping the high density and quasi isothermal working temperature. Along with this, most promising phase materials, including organics inorganic salt hydrate, have low conductivity as one of main drawbacks. Metallic are attractive alternatives due to their higher volumetric capacity. This paper presents an extensive review thermophysical properties metals alloys potential (<40 °C), medium (40 °C–300 (>300 °C) temperatures. The information presented includes fundamental melting temperature, fusion, density, specific heat, found in published literature. temperature dependence critical conductivity, expansion coefficient, viscosity is also reviewed, mathematical theoretical predictions crucial from engineering design point view. Besides, current work briefly summarizes applications challenges materials. It intended that this provides a database metallic facilitate selection, evaluation, impact different fields solar storage, heating cooling, electronic, bioengineering, beyond.