Preparation and Characterization of Thermoregulated Rigid Polyurethane Foams Containing Nanoencapsulated Phase Change Materials

Abstract

Thermoregulated rigid polyurethane foams containing silica shelled nanoencapsulated phase change materials (NanoPCMs) were fabricated. Chemical composition and morphology of the composite foams were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Thermal properties of the composite foams were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) methods. The NanoPCMs are homogeneously dispersed in a polyurethane matrix. Higher NanoPCMs contents in the composite foams lead to slightly increased cell size, minor decrease of glass transition temperature (Tg), and higher phase change enthalpies. The composite foams exhibit good thermal reliability, reasonable thermoregulation property, and fairly high compressive properties. In addition, the compressive property-density relationship for the composite foams agrees well with the Gibson–Ashby’s power law.