The Journal of Science and Engineering Applications (JSEA)

Abstract

This bibliometric study notifies the research trends of worldwide studies focusing on the exploitation of phase change materials in air conditioning and thermal energy storage systems. Besides, the last decade seen a sharp increase in the number of publications along with the rising trend of energy-efficient and sustainable buildings. As per the report, the top countries amongst them, incl. India (53 publications), China (41) and Germany (29), have been discussed. Following them, Italy (18) and Australia (24) come. Strong cooperation between Asian and European research centers is demonstrated by the most productive institutions, which include the University of Melbourne, the University of Padova, and Shanghai University of Electric Power. While Sharma (2015) continues to be the most cited paper (746 citations) in Energy Conversion and Management, highly cited authors like Aye Lu, Brey Stefan, and Mousavi Seyed mostafa show considerable influence in this field. Four main thematic clusters were identified through keyword co-occurrence mapping with VOS viewer: thermal storage systems, phase change materials and air conditioning, energy efficiency and sustainability, and thermal comfort in buildings. Overall, the findings highlight how multidisciplinary and growing PCM-related research in building technology and energy use.