Enhanced Thermal Energy Storage of n-Octadecane-Impregnated Mesoporous Silica as a Novel Shape-Stabilized Phase Change Material

[Image: see text] A series of n-octadecane/mesoporous silica (C(18)/MS) shape-stabilized phase change materials (SSPCMs) with varying C(18) content were prepared, and the effects of adsorbed C(18) distributed within porous MS on the thermal properties were analyzed. As characterized, C(18) was first infiltrated into the mesoporous space, resulting in a SSPCM with a maximum of ∼52 wt % C(18). Additional adsorption of C(18) occurred on the external surface of MS. Consequently, the optimum 70 wt % C(18) SSPCM had no C(18) leakage and exhibited a heat storage capacity of 135.6 J/g and crystallinity of 83.5%, which were much larger than those of 52 wt % C(18) SSPCM (60.2 J/g and 68.2%, respectively). The prepared C(18)/MS SSPCMs showed excellent thermal stability and thermal reliability up to 1000 accelerated thermal cycle tests. Moreover, the C(18)/MS SSPCM incorporated in gypsum effectively reduced the temperature changes compared with the original gypsum, suggesting the promising application of the prepared C(18)/MS SSPCM for energy-saving building applications.