3D Printed Injection Molding for Prototyping Batch Fabrication of Macroscale Graphene/Paraffin Spheres for Thermal Energy Management

Abstract

Paraffin is a phase change material that can store thermal energy, and it has been used in a variety of applications. However, the low thermal conductivity of paraffin hinders the further expansion of its use in many applications. Thus, it is of great interest to identify and develop composites that can improve the thermal conductivity of paraffin to maximize its heat capacity. Here, we report a facile fabrication method for producing spherical paraffin/graphene composites with thermal conductivities enhanced by 57%. We used fused deposition 3D printing to build a prototype mold in which spherical paraffin/graphene composites were successfully fabricated.