Fabrication and characterization of microencapsulated PA with SiO2 shell through sol–gel synthesis via sodium silicate precursor

Abstract

In the present study, the microencapsulated phase change material with palmitic acid as core and inorganic SiO2 shell was successfully fabricated by a sol–gel method in alkaline medium via sodium silicate precursor. The chemical compositions, crystalloid phase, microstructure and morphology of PA@SiO2 microcapsule were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were used to determine the thermal properties and thermal stability of microcapsules, respectively. According to the XRD and FT-IR results, all the characteristic peaks of PA and SiO2 were observed and there is no chemical reaction between them. Scanning electron microscopy images indicated that the microcapsule synthesized in pH 11 had a perfect spherical shape with smooth surfaces compared with other samples, and transmission electron microscopy images confirm that the PA have been well encapsulated by SiO2. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that the microcapsules indicated similar phase change behaviors as those of pristine PA, which melt at 67.2 °C with a latent heat of 111.2 J/g and freezing at 56.5 °C with a latent heat of 103.2 J/g. TGA analysis indicated that the thermal stability of the PA was also improved due to the protection of SiO2 shell toward the encapsulated PA.