Preparation and characterization of soy polyols‐based <scp>PU</scp> shell microencapsulated phase change materials for reliable thermal energy storage
Jiahui Yan, Dechao Hu, Wenshi Ma, Weimin Chen
Abstract
Microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCMs) have attracted extensive attention due to their ability to encapsulate and protect core materials. Herein, this paper presents the successful preparation of an environmentally friendly bio-based polyurethane (PU) by utilizing soy polyols as raw material and utilizing it innovatively to achieve the microencapsulation of phase change materials (PCMs). The surface morphology, thermal properties, particle size and particle size distribution of MEPCMs were comprehensively characterized and analyzed. Especially, a systematic study was conducted on MEPCMs in terms of their structure and properties, depending on different preparation conditions. According to the results, microcapsules obtained with a core-shell ratio of 1:1 and mechanical stirring speed of 300 rpm display good spherical shape, smooth surface, and narrow particle size distribution. Moreover, the melting enthalpy of microcapsules can reach 91.4 J/g when the core material content is 48.4%. Moreover, compared to pure paraffin, the prepared microcapsules have superior thermal stability and high reliability, which shows promising energy storage efficiency of 91.5% even after 50 hot-cold cycles.