Experimental thermal behavior of soy wax and clay powder mixtures for energy storage

This study investigates the thermal behavior of commercial soy wax mixed with clay powder (Clay from Tlalpujahua, Michoacan, Mexico) thermally treated at different temperatures. The behavior of these composites was analyzed using the non-invasive photothermal radiometry technique in backward emission configuration to determine the phase transition from liquid to solid by natural cooling. For comparison, the temperature of the composite was also monitored to obtain the cooling curve of the samples and to identify the solidification point. The results show that the addition of thermally treated clay significantly influences the thermal behavior of soy wax by shifting the phase change solidification point, yielding the possibility of the fabrication of tunable composites. These findings indicate that soy wax and clay, renewable and abundant materials, could contribute to developing phase change material composites for thermal storage and applications that require faster discharge energy.