Ultrafine lauric–myristic acid eutectic/poly (meta-phenylene isophthalamide) form-stable phase change fibers for thermal energy storage by electrospinning

Abstract

Ultrafine lauric–myristic acid binary eutectic/poly (meta-phenylene isophthalamide) (i.e. LA–MA/PMIA) phase change fibers are successfully fabricated by electrospinning. The effects of fatty acid content and applied voltage on fiber morphology are discussed. SEM analysis indicates that the composite fiber morphology varies with different experimental conditions. The flying fiber jets influenced by these parameters are particularly important for fabricating ultrafine fibers with desired morphology. The structure of the prepared fibers is also characterized by cross-section and TEM observations. Spatial networks with multi-channel reservoirs inside are considered to be effective in preventing the leakage and volatilization of fatty acids during thermal exchange processes. Besides, the heat capacities and pyrolysis properties of the composite fibers are also investigated. A first fronted and later returned melting temperature is observed. Experimental results show that the enthalpy of the composite fibers increases gradually with increasing fatty acid content. Although the prepared fibers suffer an obvious decline in heat capacity after water treatment, good thermal stability and heat storage performance still remain. By intelligent combination of fatty acids and PMIA with high thermal resistance, the prepared composite fibers are expected to have superior integrated performance and broad range of applications.