Silica nanoparticles-coated poly(glycidyl methacrylate-ethylene dimethacrylate) co-polymer beads containing organic phase change materials

摘要

Macroporous sorbent beads of large and small sizes were prepared by the AIBN-initiated suspension radical polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and ethylene dimethacrylate monomers in the presence of an inert porogen. The large and small microspheres were loaded with paraffin and cetyl alcohol PCMs, respectively, and coated with silica nanoparticles after sol-gel synthesis of trimethoxy(methyl)silane hydrolysate. The energy storing capacity of the form-stabilized PCM containing composite particles was monitored by differential scanning calorimetry. Accelerated thermal cycling tests were carried out to determine the thermal reliability of the microencapsulated PCMs. Paraffin and cetyl alcohol content of the microcapsules was 42.9 % and 48.9 %, respectively. The microcomposites with higher PCM content showed correspondingly higher latent heat storage capacity (melting and solidification enthalpies were 96.1 J/g and 94.7 J/g). However, there was low enthalpy change observed after 1000 thermal cycles of cetyl alcohol containing capsules, which indicated that its leakage from the microcomposites was not substantial.