Synthesis and encapsulation of 1, 4-butanediol esters as energy storage phase change materials for overheating protection of electronic devices

Abstract

Development and application of thermal energy storage phase change materials (PCMs) with different temperature ranges, non-toxic, high latent heat and thermostability has been the focus of research. This study aims to synthesize a series of diester PCMs with high latent heat and thermostability based on the esterification of 1, 4-butanediol and fatty acids, following microencapsulation of the synthesized diester for overheating protection application. The obtained diester PCMs show a phase change temperature range of 30–80 °C, latent heat up to 240 J/g and volatilization temperature over 230 °C. Considering the suitable phase change temperature for overheating protection, octadecanoic acid 1, 4-butanediol ester was selected and encapsulated with silica as shell by a novel one-pot interfacial polymerization route. The microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) achieves a high encapsulation rate of 88.4 % and a satisfactory latent heat capacity of about 211 J/g. After consecutive heating and cooling cycles, the retention rate of thermal storage capacity exceeds 98 %, showing excellent thermal cycling stability. When used in overheating protection, the MEPCM exhibits effective temperature regulation and thermal management performance. During the application of overheating protection, a remarkable temperature hysteresis was observed on a MEPCM treated semiconductor chilling chip due to the heat storage of the MEPCM. The results imply that the MEPCM can provide effective overheating protection as a passive thermal management system.