Fabrication of polyurethane rigid foam composites incorporated with phase change materials

Phase change materials (PCMs) are a series of functional materials with storing and releasing energy properties. PCMs are able to adjust and control the environment around them through storing and releasing energy during phase change process namely, solid-solid, solid-liquid, liquid-gas and etc.In this communication preparation and characterization of phase change materials based on encapsulated palmitic acid (PA) by the SiO2 shell via sol-gel process is reported.DSC results indicated that the phase change temperature of the PCM in melting and solidification process is 58.05 oC, and 56.97 oC, respectively without significant super cooling phenomena observation by having latent heats of 189.4 J/g and 258.7J/g.In continue the prepared PCMs were used in the fabrication of rigid foam polyurethane by in-situ polymerization method