Preparation and characterization of encapsulated phase change materials in presence of gamma alumina for thermal energy storage applications

摘要

Modified gamma alumina/fatty acids composite phase change materials (PCMs) were prepared via encapsulation with poly(St-co-DVB) shell by phase inversion emulsification method. The gamma alumina (gamma-Al2O3) nanoparticles were modified by cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The modified gamma alumina (M-gamma-Al2O3) was added into fatty acid mixture, which composed of oleic acid (OA) and capric acid (CA) besides to nhexadecane. Thus, the effect of alumina addition on the morphological and thermal properties of composite PCMs was investigated. The attachment of CTAB onto gamma alumina nanoparticles was verified by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) method. The morphological and chemical characterization of empty shell material (PS-DVB shell), microencapsulated PCM and composite PCMs was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, respectively. Furthermore, the thermal properties of the PCMs were examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analyses and heat storage rate measurement.