New library of phase-change materials with their selection by the Rényi entropy method.

The secret to the successful and widespread deployment of solar energy for thermal applications is effective and affordable heat storage. The ability to provide a high energy storage density and the capacity to store heat at a constant temperature corresponding to the phase transition temperature of the heat storage material (phase-change material or PCM) make latent heat storage one of the most alluring methods of heat storage. Today, it can be challenging to obtain all the published data on PCM qualities, including relevant non-thermodynamic properties in addition to thermodynamic ones.

Layer-dependent stability of 2D mica nanosheets.

We report on the layer-dependent stability of muscovite-type two-dimensional (2D) mica nanosheets (KAlSiO(OH)). First-principles calculations on mica nanosheets with different layer thicknesses (n = 1, 2, and 3) reveal their layer-dependent stability; odd-numbered 2D mica nanosheets are more stable than even-numbered ones, and the preferable stability of odd-numbered layers originates from electronic effects. A core-shielding model is proposed with a reasonable assumption, successfully proving the instability of the even-numbered mica nanosheets.

A non-field analytical method for gas dissolution under forced compression.

This paper presents an extension of the non-field analytical method-known as the method of Kulish-to model gas dissolution into a liquid due to forced compression. Solutions are obtained for the time evolution of pressure (and, hence, mass concentration) at the gas-liquid interface. These solutions are in the form of series with respect to fractional differ-integral operators.

Modelling the behaviour of thermal energy harvesting devices with phase-change materials.

This paper presents a new general theoretical model of thermal energy harvesting devices (TEHDs), which utilise phase-change materials (PCMs) for energy storage. The model's major goal is to identify a set of parameters under which these devices perform optimally, that is, attain the largest thermal buffering capacity and exchange heat with the surrounding phase as quickly as possible. For the first time, an expression for the characteristic harvesting time is developed from the constructal theory viewpoint under the optimal performance assumption, and a dimensionless criterion that characterizes PCM performance is provided.