Synthesis of PCM Nanocapsule for Energy Storage Applications: Emulsion Polymerization Method

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) have recently garnered attention for many new applications. However, one of their main challenges is integrating them into complex geometries. The present study has developed polymer composite capsules containing PCM for Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems. A simple one-step emulsion polymerization method was used to fabricate paraffin@styren (PCM@ST) nanocapsules. The surface of the spherical nano-encapsulated PCMs was uniform, smooth, and compact, with particle sizes ranging from ۲۰۰ to ۴۰۰ nm. These nano-encapsulated PCMs demonstrated stability and reliability, with a melting enthalpy of about ۶۴.۹۳ J/g and crystallization enthalpy of about ۶۶.۴۵ J/g. TGA results indicated that the nano-encapsulated PCM degraded in three steps and exhibited good thermal stability, with an encapsulation efficiency (ϕ) of ۵۲.۹۵%. These findings suggest that PCM@ST nanocapsules could be promising candidates for thermal energy storage applications.

کلیدواژه ها:

Phase Change Materials (PCM) ، Thermal Energy Storage ، Emulsion Polymerization method ، Nanoencapsulation