Preparation, Characterization, and Thermal Properties of Microencapsulated Phase Change Material for Low-Temperature Thermal Energy Storage

Microencapsulation of phase change material (PCM) has received great attention as a promising candidate for latent heat thermal energy storage application. In this study, we reported a successful synthesis of n-octadecane as the core material microencapsulated in the melamine-formaldehyde resin shell. In particular, the morphology and microstructure of the prepared microencapsulated PCM (MEPCM) were examined. Meanwhile, the phase change behavior and thermal storage properties of melting point, enthalpy of fusion, and heat capacity were determined by differential scanning calorimetry. It absorbed/released large latent heat 160.0 kJ/kg at the melting point (around 26.5 °C), which presented excellent potential for heat storage. Additionally, heating/cooling cycling tests up to 100 cycles were conducted, and there was no significant thermal attenuation of enthalpy or leakage of the core material. This favorable thermal storage properties and durability of MEPCM demonstrated that our prepared MEPCM possessed excellent and stable performance suitable for its application for thermal energy storage systems.