Thermophysical properties and thermal cycling behaviour of RT54 HC nanocomposite phase change materials containing samarium oxide
9 affiliations
- 1Department of Machinery and Metal Technologies, Vocational School of Higher Education, Batman University, Batman, 72100 Turkey
- 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technology Faculty, Firat University, Elazig, 23119 Turkey
- 3Department of Automotive Engineering, Technology Faculty, Firat University, Elazig, 23119 Turkey
- 4Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Technology Faculty, Firat University, Elazig, 23119 Turkey
- 5Tunceli Vocational School, Munzur University, Tunceli, Turkey
- 6Munzur University Rare Earth Elements Application and Research Center, Tunceli, 62100 Turkey
- 7Department of Machine and Metallic Technology, Munzur University, Tunceli, 62100 Turkey
- 8Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istinye University, Istanbul, 34396 Turkey
- 9University Centre for Research & Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali, 140413 Punjab India
Abstract
This study examines the effects of Sm2O3 content on the thermophysical properties and thermal cycling behaviour of RT54 HC phase change composites. Formulations containing 5–20 wt% Sm2O3 were prepared using vacuum assisted melting, magnetic stirring, and bath sonication. Structural and morphological analyses were combined with calorimetric, thermal conductivity, and thermogravimetric measurements. Samples underwent up to 10,000 melting and solidification cycles between 35 and 75 °C. The characteristic RT54 HC spectral and diffraction features remained observable after nanoparticle incorporation, while the phase change temperature range was largely retained across the formulations. Thermal conductivity measured on compacted powders at 25 °C increased from 0.186 W/(m·K) for pristine RT54 HC to 0.282 W/(m·K) at 20 wt% Sm2O3, corresponding to a 51.6% enhancement. At 70 °C, the corresponding conductivities with the PCM matrix in the molten state were 0.178 and 0.260 W/(m·K), giving a 46.1% enhancement. The highest first cycle mean liquid region Cp, evaluated over 62–75 °C, was 4.64 J/(g·K) at 12.5 wt% Sm2O3, representing a 75.6% increase. For this formulation, the melting and solidification enthalpies changed from 181 to 180 J/g initially to 165 and 165 J/g after 10,000 cycles, while the mean liquid region Cp decreased to 3.28 J/(g·K). Thermogravimetric measurements characterized degradation during programmed heating under nitrogen. The results identify different compositions for maximum thermal conductivity and Cp, together with changes in storage capacity during cycling. These findings provide a material characterization basis for subsequent evaluation in thermal energy storage systems.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-026-05117-0.
Related
- Stability and Thermophysical Properties of Silicon Carbide and Carbon Nanofibers Thermal Oil Hybrid Nanofluids
- Synergistic photocatalytic reduction of chemical oxygen demand in acetophenone-containing wastewater using a hybrid LaMnCeO3/TiO2–MXene/Al-HMS nanocomposite under visible irradiation
- Predicting Thermophysical Properties of Halide Salts Using On-the-Fly Machine-Learned Interatomic Potentials Across Multiple Exchange-Correlation Functionals
- Thymol-based deep eutectic solvents: a comprehensive overview of classifications, preparation methods, stability, and thermophysical properties.
- Effect of Temperature on Piezoresistive Behaviour of Carbon Nanotube Filled Epoxy Nanocomposite Strain Sensors sQRS
BibTeX
@article{topkaya2026thermophysical,
title = {{Thermophysical properties and thermal cycling behaviour of RT54 HC nanocomposite phase change materials containing samarium oxide}},
author = {Hüsna Topkaya and Ezgi Gurgenc and Elshan Sefidgar Shahanaghi and Turan Gurgenc and Halil İbrahim Yamaç and Eda Bakır Gür and Naim Aslan and Hakan F Öztop},
journal = {Discover Nano},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1186/s11671-026-05117-0},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-026-05117-0},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Thermophysical properties and thermal cycling behaviour of RT54 HC nanocomposite phase change materials containing samarium oxide
AU - Hüsna Topkaya
AU - Ezgi Gurgenc
AU - Elshan Sefidgar Shahanaghi
AU - Turan Gurgenc
AU - Halil İbrahim Yamaç
AU - Eda Bakır Gür
AU - Naim Aslan
AU - Hakan F Öztop
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Discover Nano
DO - 10.1186/s11671-026-05117-0
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-026-05117-0
AB - This study examines the effects of Sm2O3 content on the thermophysical properties and thermal cycling behaviour of RT54 HC phase change composites. Formulations containing 5–20 wt% Sm2O3 were prepared using vacuum assisted melting, magnetic stirring, and bath sonication. Structural and morphological analyses were combined with calorimetric, thermal conductivity, and thermogravimetric measurements. Samples underwent up to 10,000 melting and solidification cycles between 35 and 75 °C. The characteristic RT54 HC spectral and diffraction features remained observable after nanoparticle incorporation, while the phase change temperature range was largely retained across the formulations. Thermal conductivity measured on compacted powders at 25 °C increased from 0.186 W/(m·K) for pristine RT54 HC to 0.282 W/(m·K) at 20 wt% Sm2O3, corresponding to a 51.6% enhancement. At 70 °C, the corresponding conductivities with the PCM matrix in the molten state were 0.178 and 0.260 W/(m·K), giving a 46.1% enhancement. The highest first cycle mean liquid region Cp, evaluated over 62–75 °C, was 4.64 J/(g·K) at 12.5 wt% Sm2O3, representing a 75.6% increase. For this formulation, the melting and solidification enthalpies changed from 181 to 180 J/g initially to 165 and 165 J/g after 10,000 cycles, while the mean liquid region Cp decreased to 3.28 J/(g·K). Thermogravimetric measurements characterized degradation during programmed heating under nitrogen. The results identify different compositions for maximum thermal conductivity and Cp, together with changes in storage capacity during cycling. These findings provide a material characterization basis for subsequent evaluation in thermal energy storage systems. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-026-05117-0.
SN - 2731-9229
ER -