Synthesis of PCM Nanocapsule for Energy Storage Applications: Emulsion Polymerization Method

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) have recently garnered attention for many new applications. However, one of their main challenges is integrating them into complex geometries. The present study has developed polymer composite capsules containing PCM for Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems. A simple one-step emulsion polymerization method was used to fabricate paraffin@styren (PCM@ST) nanocapsules. The surface of the spherical nano-encapsulated PCMs was uniform, smooth, and compact, with particle sizes ranging from 200 to 400 nm. These nano-encapsulated PCMs demonstrated stability and reliability, with a melting enthalpy of about 64.93 J/g and crystallization enthalpy of about 66.45 J/g. TGA results indicated that the nano-encapsulated PCM degraded in three steps and exhibited good thermal stability, with an encapsulation efficiency (ϕ) of 52.95%. These findings suggest that PCM@ST nanocapsules could be promising candidates for thermal energy storage applications.