Dr. A. K. Pandey

Sunway University · Research Centre for Nano-Materials & Energy Technology

Phase change materials (PCMs) have emerged as an intriguing option for the storage of thermal energy because of their remarkable capacity to store latent heat. However, the practical application of these materials is hindered by their low thermal conductivity and limited photo-absorbance. For this investigation, graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) and mul...

Low thermal conductivity and liquid phase leakage impede the widespread adoption of phase change materials (PCMs). To enhance PCM performance and practical viability, addressing these limitations is crucial. Current study addresses low thermal conductivity and leakage issues. Enhanced thermal conductivity in PCMs is achieved by adding graphene nano...

This study evaluates energy-economic (2-E) efficiency by reducing the glass cover temperatures and enhancing the condensation rates in solar desalination systems. This improvement is accomplished by incorporating natural kenaf fibers. The research introduces an innovative modification to a conventional solar desalination system (CSDS) by implementi...

Thermal energy storage (TES) assisted with phase change materials (PCM)s seeks greater attention to bridge the gap between energy demand and supply. PCM has its footprint toward efficient storage of solar energy. Inorganic salt hydrate PCMs are propitious over organic PCMs in terms of energy storage ability, thermal conductivity, and fireproof, how...

The efficiency of solar cells and photovoltaic (PV) panels are lacking significantly due to its surface overheating by the incident solar radiation. Indeed, the generated heat energy is harnessed by integrating a thermal system into PV panel, which introduces a photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system. Phase change materials (PCM)s are a class of energy m...

The escalating significance of 3D printing in various industries is underscored by its ability to rapidly and cost-effectively produce distinctive parts. Among the 3D printing methods, fused filament fabrication (FFF) has emerged as a highly productive and cost-effective approach. While extensive efforts have been made to enhance the qualities of F...

The utilization of phase change materials (PCMs) in thermal energy storage (TES) has garnered widespread recognition and application within advanced TES systems. Nevertheless, PCMs have challenges during TES operations , notably poor thermal conductivity, and a limited temperature range. Despite their high cost, com-mercialised carbon-based nanopar...

The melting enthalpy and melting temperature have a significant impact on the latent heat that results from phase change materials (PCMs) used for thermal energy storage. Among the PCMs that are currently on the market, inorganic salt hydrates have greater thermal conductivity and latent heat than organic PCMs. However, the problem of salt hydrates...

Organic phase change materials (OPCMs) possess a remarkable ability to absorb and release latent heat during phase transitions, making them very promising for storing solar energy. Nevertheless, the extensive use of these materials encounters substantial obstacles arising from intrinsic difficulties, such as limited heat conductivity and chemical s...

The integration of photovoltaic (PV) system in power system proved to be potential technology in terms of renewable energy sources. However, photovoltaic system has major drawback of rise in cell temperature, which results in low power production and reduced service life. To overcome the temperature rise in photovoltaic system, the addition of wate...

Flexible dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) possess multiple advantages with wide application and good commercialisation potential. However, the low conversion efficiency of the technology from poor charge transfer and interparticle contact has limited their utilisation. Thus, the research aims to enhance the performance of flexible plastic-based t...

Purpose This paper aims to fabricate a polymer-based polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating with acrylic resin as a binder that can show antiviral activity against the feline coronavirus (FCov) on the glass substrate. Design/methodology/approach The PEG/acrylic coating systems of different weight percentages were coated on the glass substrates using th...

Nowadays, nanofluids are considered as excellent working fluids with good thermophysical properties for augmenting the heat transfer in solar systems. Consisting of single-phase nanopowder, metal oxide-based nanofluids exhibit either a good thermal network or good physicochemical properties. Allotropes of carbon (e.g., carbon nanotubes; CNTs and gr...

The current study aims to bridge a crucial gap in existing research, potentially paving the way for a groundbreaking transformation in the development and application of PLA/Brass composites within diverse industries such as aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, and medical devices. The primary objective of this research is to assess the mechanica...

Disease epidemics may spread quickly and easily throughout nations and continents in our current global environment, having a devastating effect on public health and the world economy. There are over 513 million people worldwide have been infected and more than 6.2 million have died due to SARS-CoV-2. There are treatments but no cures for most viru...

The Phase change materials (PCMs) possess the great potential to store renewable and sustainable thermal energy that can mitigate the issue of energy to a great extent. However, the low thermal conductivity hinders the extensive use of PCM in various applications. To alleviate this deficiency, the PCMs are often incorporated with highly conductive...

The commercial application of flexible dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is somewhat limited due to the devices’ low conversion efficiency. The low sintering temperature in preparing the photoanode has caused poor interparticle contact, low charge transfer and low efficiency. Hence, this research aims to improve the interparticle contact of titani...

Thermal energy storage (TES) is a technique that is considered a very desirable technology with a high potential to overcome the gap between demand and supply. Phase change materials (PCMs) are considered to be a highly favourable thermal energy storage materials. Besides that, PCM has certain drawbacks, such as lower thermal conductivity and highe...

Phase change materials (PCMs) is a unique material that been widely explored for thermal energy storage (TES). PCM nature of low thermal conductivity limits the performance and heat transfer characteristics. Nano-filler been used widely to enhanced PCM thermal conductivity and improved the thermal physical properties. This research work study the n...

Phase change materials (PCMs) are increasingly gaining prominence in thermal energy storage due to their impressive energy storage capacity per unit volume, especially in applications with low and medium temperatures. Nevertheless, PCMs have significant limitations regarding their ability to conduct and store heat, primarily due to their inadequate...

Flexible dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) developed at low temperature with low conversion efficiency due to the poor interparticle contact and charge transfer has limited their further development. In this research, bismuth (Bi) nanoparticles were implemented as titanium dioxide (TiO2) photoanode sintering aid to combat this issue. By utilising th...

This book gives an in-depth look at nano-enhanced phase change materials (PCMs) and their applications in a variety of disciplines. The chapters cover the principles of PCMs, as well as their production and characterization, as well as the effect of nanoparticles on their thermophysical properties. The book also covers the application of nanostruct...

The discovery of nano-enhanced phase change materials (NePCMs) has great promise for energy-efficient applications in a variety of fields, including thermal energy storage, electronics cooling, and solar thermal energy conversion. However, obstacles like high cost, stability, durability, environmental effect, and safety concerns are now impeding th...

The application of the machine learning (ML) approach in the development of nanophase change materials (PCMs) signifies a promising step forward in the development of energy storage technologies. The nuptials of machine learning with nanotechnology has resulted in a new paradigm for developing, creating, and synthesizing high-performance PCM materi...

Developing stable, economic, safer and carbon-based nanoparticles from agro solid waste facilitates a new dimension of advancement for eco-friendly nanomaterials in competition to existing nanoparticles. Herewith, a three dimensional highly porous honeycomb structured carbon-based coconut shell (CS) nanoparticle is prepared through green synthesis...

Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is a valuable tool for improving the energy efficiency of renewable energy conversion systems. One of the most effective methods for harnessing thermal energy from solar sources is through energy storage using phase change materials (PCMs). However, the thermal performance of PCMs is hindered by their low thermal conduc...

Flat plate collectors (FPCs) are the leading solar thermal technology for low-medium range temperature applications. However, their expansion in developing countries is still lacking because of their poor thermal performance. Improving the thermal performance of flat plate collectors (FPCs) is a crucial concern addressed in this review This study c...

Integrating nanotechnology into phase change materials (PCMs) has emerged as a novel approach to improving PCM thermal properties and performance in various thermal energy storage applications. Nanofluids, nanoparticle suspensions in a base fluid, have been identified as a promising method of increasing the thermal conductivity of PCMs and thus red...

3D printing technology has revolutionized free-form construction and customization demand through its ease of use, fast production, accurate, regulated deposition, and flexibility with soft functional materials. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is an ideal technique for the 3D printing of plastics. The low cost, high prototyping precision, and ease...

Global warming and energy depletion are the main problems faced in recent years due to energy consumption by industries and the global population. Phase change materials (PCMs) with significant properties tend to store and release energy and fill the demand and supply gap. Most organic and inorganic PCMs are not considered environmentally eco-frien...

Solar energy is the most plentiful renewable energy source that has the capability to keep up with the growing demand. When the sun’s energy is not available, thermal energy storage (TES) using phase change material (PCM) is a promising technique for storage and utilization. However, PCM’s low thermal conductivity may limit its use. The use of nano...

Thermal energy storage materials are substantial in concentrated solar power (CSP) plants as they absorb solar thermal energy and store it to be used for electricity production. Enhancing the thermophysical properties of these materials will positively affect the efficiency of the CSP plant system and lower electricity price. This research synthesi...

In this manuscript, the innovative design of a hybrid system is investigated for distilled water and hot water production using the heat pipe-equipped vacuum tube collector system assimilated with solar still (HTP-ETCS-SS). The proposed hybrid system is compared with traditional solar still (SS) in context of energy, exergy and financial analysis w...

Primary material supply is the heart of engineering and sciences. The depletion of natural resources and an increase in the human population by a billion in 13 to 15 years pose a critical concern regarding the sustainability of these materials; therefore, functionalizing renewable materials, such as nanocellulose, by possibly exploiting their prope...

Solar energy’s most promising application is in water heating, followed by other solar thermal applications. In this investigation, a novel method of incorporating a phase-change material (PCM) between the annulus space of an evacuated tube and an aluminum finned heat pipe is employed. During day time, the PCM stores the excess amount of heat and r...

Primary materials supply is the heart for engineering and sciences; depletion of natural resources and an increase in the human population by a billion in 13 to 15 years pose a critical concern on the sustainability of the materials. Therefore, functionalizing renewable materials, such as nanocellulose, possibly exploiting its properties for variou...

The overheating of heat pipes, poor transfer of heat across the absorber and finned heat pipes, and inability to provide hot water in the late evening hours are major problems associated with conventional heat pipe vacuum collector systems. The amalgamation of highly conductive storage material between the absorber tube (heat collecting surface) an...

In this work, the performance of a low-cost solar box cooker (SBC) is experimentally investigated by fixing fins to the cooking utensils to improve the thermal performance and cooking rate. Four different configurations of water-based cooking boxes were evaluated: without fins, and with pin, cross, and hexagonal fins. To enable direct comparison, a...

In recent years, building energy consumption has increased every day due to population growth and an increased human desire for a healthy and pleasant lifestyle, and this is responsible for a crisis of energy shortages worldwide. Therefore, use of solar water heating (SWH) systems in buildings for hot water demand is the prime need of the hour to m...

In the present work, Copper Oxide-Polyaniline (CuO/PANI) nanocomposites-blended in palm oil hybrid nanofluid have been prepared via a two-step method and investigated as potential heat transfer hybrid nanofluids for the first time. Initially, CuO/PANI nanocomposites are synthesized via oxidative polymerization by varying the weight percentage of Cu...

Thermal energy storage (TES) and harvesting is an effective technique for optimum building thermal management. Phase-change materials (PCMs) are commonly used for TES applications but are troubled by their degraded thermal conductivity. Recent research progress in latent heat energy storage using PCMs and nano additives provides a viable solution f...

The aim of this research was to develop a model for a solar refrigeration system (SRS) that utilizes an External Compound Parabolic Collector and a thermal energy storage system (TESS) for solar water heating in Chennai, India. The system parameters were optimized using TRNSYS software by varying factors such as collector area, mass flow rate of he...

The rising living standards of humans have a high demand for natural resources. Algal biomass has emerged as a substitute for conventional resources obtained from animals and plants. Compositionally, algae constitute extractable carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and other valuable bioactive compounds (BACs) in abundance. BACs profusely derived from...

Solar air heating is the most widely used for crop drying, building and space heating applications due to its technological maturity and economic viability. Still, solar air heaters (SAHs) have not achieved high performance and development in various applications because of the fluctuating nature of solar energy and the lack of energy storage units...

The primary objective of the present work is to carry out an experimental study into the stability and thermophysical characteristics of cellulose nanocrystal, MXene, and hybrid cellulose nanocrystal-MXene added to engine oil as a lubricant for piston ring-cylinder liner application. There have been experiments with stability techniques like sedime...

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has a lower adoption rate than expected because of different weather conditions (sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy, and stormy) and high material manufacturing costs. To overcome the barriers to adoption, many researchers are developing methods to increase its performance. A photovoltaic–thermal absorber hybrid system m...

A sustainable approach to ensuring the thermal regulation of space is reliable with phase change materials (PCMs) operating at 15–25 °C. Henceforth, there is a need of a search of binary and ternary eutectic PCMs operating at desirable phase transition temperatures of 15–25 °C, high energy storage enthalpy (180–220 J/g), improved thermal conductivi...

Medium temperature phase change materials (PCMs) are of great interest for thermal devices due to their energy storage capability. In the current study, organic PCMs with silver nanoparticles are experimentally investigated and energized to improve the energy storage ability. Organic PCM composites with silver metal nanoparticles of 20–40 nm in siz...

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), are safe, biocompatible, bioactive, and biodegradable materials, and have sparked a lot of attention due to their unique characteristics in a variety of applications, including medical and dye industries, paper manufacturing and water purification. CNTs also have a strong film-forming potential, permitting them to be widely...

The poor interparticle connectivity between the nanoparticles architecture of photoanode due to insufficient sintering temperature has been an issue for developing flexible dye sensitised solar cell (DSSC). This issue has led flexible DSSC to yield low conversion efficiency. This research aims to implement lead (Pb) as sintering aid to improve the...

Phase change materials (PCM) are largely assessed on their ability towards energy storage and their enthalpy efficiency of discharging the stored energy. Nevertheless, their applications are limited by the low thermal conductivity behaviour, despite their tunable transition temperature abilities. The present work demonstrates a novel concept to dev...

Electric vehicles (EVs) can significantly reduce pollution and dependence on fossil fuels by taking the place of conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. Owing to the higher sensitivity of lithium-ion batteries (LIB) towards working temperatures, thermal management of the battery is necessary for guaranteeing longer-cycle life, higher performance, a...

Dispersion of highly conductive nanoparticles in Phase Change Materials (PCMs) tends to improve the thermophysical properties of nanocomposites. The current research condenses the synthesis, chemical, physical, and thermal characterization of novel nano-enhanced eutectic phase change materials (NeUPCMs) dispersed with TiO2 nanofillers for thermal m...

The most popular renewable energy source is solar energy, which characterises as free, clean, and environmentally friendly. Photovoltaics (PV) generate electricity from daylight, becoming increasingly popular in residential and other applications. The potential energy delivery from a photovoltaic module is a function of solar radiation falling on t...

The latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems using organic phase change materials (PCMs) offer significant advantages, however, they suffer with low thermal conductivity and this limitation restricts their uses in many real applications. This weakness of them has attracted the attention of worldwide researchers. In the present work, a nov...