Preparation of multifunctional phase change microcapsules for thermal energy storage and shielding against ionizing radiation

Abstract

A novel type of multifunctional microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCMs) with BaCO3 as shell and binary phase change materials (PCMs) as core was prepared based on self-assembly method. In addition to their original thermal storage properties, MPCMs are endowed with the ability to shield against ionizing radiation by the BaCO3 shell containing high atomic number element Ba2+. Thermal analysis indicated that due to the composition of binary PCMs, MPCMs had phase transition points of 5.54 °C and 32.6 °C, which enabled MPCMs with thermal storage function in wide temperature ranges. Furthermore, the cement paste containing different replacement ratio of MPCMs was exposed to X-ray radiation. The results showed that with the addition of MPCMs, the linear attenuation coefficient of cement paste had a general increase over the photon energy range of 0.05–0.15 MeV, especially at the lower photon energy. The multifunctional MPCMs developed in this study provides applicability for traditional thermal storage materials in building and other fields.