Performance of thermochemical energy storage for spinel CuMn2O4 material

Abstract Because of spinel's suitable redox properties, this article focuses on its application as a candidate of thermochemical energy storage materials. Pechini method was used to synthesize of the copper and manganese mixed metal oxides with spinel structure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to determine the crystal structure of the sample. The thermochemical energy storage of the samples was measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found that sample with Cu mole ratio 1/3 showed suitable cycle stability and more flexible temperature range. It is a potential candidate for thermal energy storage material. Through the comparison of air and nitrogen-air redox cycle, it is revealed that the reduction is more thorough in inert atmosphere than in air atmosphere.