Energy storage is a global critical issue and important area of research as most of the renewable sources of energy are intermittent. In this research work, recently emerged inorganic nanomaterial (MXene) is used for the first time with paraffin wax as a phase change material (PCM) to improve its thermo-physical properties. This paper focuses on preparation, characterization, thermal properties and thermal stability of new class of nanocomposites induced with MXene nanoparticles in three different concentrations. Acquired absorbance (UV-Vis) for nanocomposite with loading concentration of 0.3 wt.% of MXene achieved ~39% enhancement in comparison with the pure paraffin wax. Thermal conductivity measurement for nanocomposites in a solid state is performed using a KD2 PRO decagon. The specific heat capacity (c p ) of PCM based MXene is improved by introducing MXene. The improvement of c p is found to be 43% with 0.3 wt.% of MXene loaded in PCM. The highest thermal conductivity increment is found to be 16% at 0.3 wt.% concentration of MXene in PCM. Decomposition temperature of this new class of nanocomposite with 0.3 wt.% mass fraction is increased by ~6%. This improvement is beneficial in thermal energy storage and heat transfer applications.

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In this research work, MXene with a chemical formula of Ti3C2 is used for the first time with silicone oil to improve thermo-physical properties of MXene based silicone oil. This paper focuses on preparation, characterization, thermal properties, thermal stability and performance investigation of new class of silicone oil nanofluids induced with MXene in three different concentrations for a Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic Thermal (CPVT) collector.The thermal conductivity of the silicone oil-based MXene nanofluids is measured using a Transient Hot Bridge (THB) 500. Viscosity is measured using a Rheometer at various temperatures including 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 °C. Perkin Elmer Lambda 750 is used to measure optical absorbance. The highest thermal conductivity enhancement is found to be 64% for 0.1 wt.% concentration of silicone oil-MXene nanofluid compared to pure silicone oil at 150 °C. The viscosity of MXene with silicone oil nanofluids is found to be independent of addition of MXene nanoparticles in the silicone oil base fluid. Viscosity is reduced by 37% when temperature is raised from 25 ºC to 50 ºC for different concentrations of MXene with silicone oil . Silicone oil-based MXene nanofluid with 0.1 wt.% concentration is thermally stable up to ~ 380 °C. Introducing more MXene nanoparticles into silicone oil improves electrical efficiency of PV module due to better cooling of MXene based nanofluids. Higher solar concentration is resulted in higher average temperature of the PV module. This consequently raises thermal energy gain which is useful for different applications.

Solar thermal collectors have been recognized as promising devices for solar energy harvesting. The absorbing properties of the working fluid are crucial because they can significantly influence the efficiency of the solar thermal collectors. The performance of photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) systems can be optimized by applying nanofluids as working fluids. MXene is a newly developed 2-D nanomaterial that has proven excellent potential in electrical applications with a lack of research in the thermal and optical applications. The present work extensively studied the optical potential of the water/MXene nanofluids with respect to the variation of MXene concentrations (0.0005-0.05 wt. %) and types of surfactant (CTAB or SDBS) used in a hybrid PV/T system. The relationship between the investigated parameters was evaluated through an experimental correlation. The evaluation of the nanofluids in term of the transmittance was conducted through the Rayleigh method. The MXene concentrations and the types of the surfactant play predominant role in the transmittance, absorbance and dispersion stability of the water/MXene nanofluids.

In this study, nanocomposites containing a pre-defined mass ratio of solar salt (NaNO3-KNO3: 6040 wt.%) dispersed with magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles with nominal sizes of 100 nm were prepared in solid and liquid states. The proposed amounts of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate were added to certain amounts of ultrapure deionized (DI) water comprising a 5 wt.% concentration of MgO nanoparticles. Afterward, the prepared mixture was placed in a dry oven to mix in a liquid state to obtain well-dispersed nanocomposites. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) was conducted to evaluate the uniformity of synthesized, molten salt-based magnesium oxide-nanoparticles, revealing a uniform dispersion. Enthalpy and melting point measurements were performed using differential scanning calorimetry. The experimental results of solar salt-based MgO indicated decreases in melting point and enthalpy by 7% and 12.4%, respectively. The reduction of enthalpy indicated that, with the addition of magnesium oxide to solar salt, the final nanocomposite tends to have more exothermic reactions and enhanced thermal conductivity performance at the melting point. Lower melting points constitute one of the major concerns regarding molten salt-based nanofluids. MgO nanoparticles with a concentration of 5 wt.% have a melting point decreased by 7%. Mass loss and thermal stability measurements were conducted using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The experimentally acquired results revealed an increment of decomposition temperature from 734.29°C to 750.73°C, demonstrating the enhancement of thermal stability at high temperatures.

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In this research, MXene (Ti3C2) nanoflakes are implanted for the first time with Palm oil methyl ester (POME) to improve the nanofluids (POME/MXene) thermo-physical properties. The preparation, characterization, thermal and rheological properties was evaluated. POME/MXene nanofluid was induced with five different concentrations (0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.08, and 0.1 wt.%) of MXene to achieve the optimal properties that would be superior for a new heat transfer fluid. It is found that introducing more MXene nanoflakes into POME would expand the thermo-physical properties which will induce the rapid cooling of MXene based-nanofluids. Maximum enhancement of thermal conductivity for a MXene concentration and temperature of 0.1 wt.% and 65 oC respectively was measured to be ~ 176 % compared to the base fluid. Increasing amount of MXene did not effect the viscosity of the nanofluid. These results enable it to be utilized as a promising heat transfer fluid.

In this research work, novel hybrid Graphene-Silver (Gr-Ag) nanomaterial has been used for first time with paraffin wax as a phase change material (PCM) to improve its thermo-physical properties. Thermal and electrical energy efficiencies of the novel synthesized nanocomposite (PCM/Graphene-Silver) has been investigated in solar thermal collector systems (CPV/T). This paper focuses on preparation, characterization, thermo-physical properties and energy efficiency in concentrated photovoltaic/thermal (CPV/T) system of new class of nanocomposites induced with hybrid Gr-Ag nanomaterial in three different concentrations. The specific heat capacity (cp) of hybrid PCM/Graphene-Silver nanocomposite increased by introducing hybrid Gr-Ag nanomaterial. Electrical and thermal energy performance of the hybrid PCM/Graphene-Silver is investigated in a CPV/T system using Matlab 2017b program. The improvement of cp is found to be ~40% with 0.3 mass% of hybrid Gr-Ag nanomaterial loaded in PCM. The highest thermal conductivity increment is found to be ~11% at 0.3 mass% concentration of hybrid Gr-Ag nanomaterial in PCM. The endothermic enthalpy value of the hybrid PCM/Graphene-Silver nanocomposite is found to be ~75.6 J g-1 at 0.1 mass% loading concentration of hybrid Gr-Ag nanomaterial. Melting point of hybrid PCM/Graphene-Silver nanocomposite with loading concentration of 0.3 mass% is measured to be 73.2 °C. The highest thermal efficiency using the hybrid Graphene-silver nanoparticles reached the value of 39.62% which represents 4.16% increment in comparison with the pure PCM. The equivalent electrical efficiency is improved by 2.8% at the loading concentration of 0.3 mass% of the hybrid Gr-Ag nanomaterial. These new class of nanocomposites represented the capability of enhancement in the performance of the CPV/T system consisting of lower PV temperatures, higher temperature gains across the cooling fluid and higher electrical and thermal efficiencies.