Effect of freezing velocity and platelet size on structural parameters and morphology of freeze-cast porous alumina scaffolds

Recent advances in phase change materials for thermal energy storage

“…11 for some of the freeze-cast materials prepared in our lab. 85 Some of the attributes of the freeze-cast process to form PCM matrices include: the control of porosity (by rate of cooling, and temperature gradient; choice and concentration of binders or structuring agents as additives in the slurry, with morphologies including lamellae or vertical channels, and pore volume from moderate to high); 86,87 the flexibility of types of scaffold materials; the fact that the process is additive which minimizes material requirements; the use of water as the suspension fluid which is far preferable to organic templates that are later burned out. Applications of freeze-cast materials, aside from matrices for form-stable PCMs, include silver-loaded scaffolds with antibacterial properties, low-cost composites with negative thermal expansion, and structures for dye-sensitized solar cells, 88 among many others.…”