Thermal performances and characterization of microencapsulated phase change materials for thermal energy storage

Abstract

A series of microencapsulated phase change materials (micro-PCMs) contained butyl stearate and octadecane as core materials were synthesized by suspension-like polymerization method. Methyl methacrylate (MMA), divinylbenzene (DVB), pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) and pentaerythritol tetraacrylate (PETTA) were introduced in polymerization system to form shells. DSC results indicated that microencapsulation ratio could reach as high as 75 wt.%. After 500 times thermal cycling test, the microencapsulation ratio of these as-prepared micro-PCMs decreased only by 2.3 wt.%. SEM images showed that these micro-PCMs have relatively spherical morphology and compact surfaces with diameter ranging from 5 to 40 μm.