Design and synthesis of organo-silica shell based dual-functional microencapsulated phase change material for thermal regulating systems

Abstract

A novel form of dual-functional microcapsules with the core composition of phase change material with thermal energy storage capacity was formulated, which possessed photoluminescence features because of including rare earth nanoparticles in the core. Additionally, the core of the microcapsule is encapsulated by an organo-silica shell. The microcapsules were synthesized via interfacial polycondensation in a reverse emulsion templating system. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the formulated microcapsules presented a distinctive core–shell structure. The chemical compositions and crystalline structures of the microcapsules were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. The fluorescence properties of the microcapsules were observed on an upright fluorescence microscope while the thermal properties of the microcapsules were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The results demonstrated that the developed strategy can certainly guide the design of multifunctional materials with numerous applications in the field of thermal energy storage.