Employment of Dynamic Temperature-Time-Transformation (DTTT) Diagrams on Phase Change Materials (PCM)

Recent advances in technology and science are improving traditional thermal characterization techniques of phase change materials (PCM). However, to meet the industry's current necessities in terms of thermal management and energy storage, more detailed information on its behaviour must be assessed to describe the material performance accurately. TTT diagrams (Temperature-Time-Transformation) are an essential tool in the development of thermal treatments of steel, showing in a single graph the cooling rates and temperature levels that are allowed to induce certain austenitic transformations. While these graphs are widely used in the metal industry, they are hardly ever found in other scientific fields. The aim of this work is to apply the TTT diagram concept to the development of similar plots, integrating the TTT variables in the study of phase change processes of PCM to develop what here is called Dynamic TTT (DTTT) diagrams. This could spark the development of a methodology to unify the study and measurement of cycling stability of PCM, currently lacking in the scientific community.