Recent developments in phase change materials for energy storage applications: A review

Thermal conductivity enhancement on phase change materials for thermal energy storage: A review

Thermophysical properties and applications of nano-enhanced PCMs: An update review

Supercooling of phase-change materials and the techniques used to mitigate the phenomenon

As a class of thermal energy-storage materials, phase change materials (PCMs) play an important role in sustainable development of economy and society with a rapid increase in energy demand. Microencapsulation of solid–liquid PCMs has been recognized as a vital technology to protect them from leakage and running off and to give them a shape stability in the liquid state to offer the ease of handling and thus received tremendous attention from fundamental studies to industrial development in recent decades. Aiming to provide the most complete and reliable source of information on recent progress and current development in microencapsulated PCMs, this review focuses on methodologies and technologies for the encapsulation of PCMs with a variety of wall materials from traditional organic polymers to novel inorganic materials to pursue high encapsulation efficiency, excellent thermal energy-storage performance and long-term operation durability. We attempt to clearly summarize the selection of core and wall materials, synthetic methods, formation mechanisms and characteristic performance of microencapsulated PCMs to help scientists better understand their design principles and synthetic mechanisms. This review also highlights the diverse design of bi- and multi-functional PCM-based microcapsules by fabricating various functional shells in a multilayered or hierarchical structure to provide a great potential to meet the growing demand for versatile applications. We also provide insights on the future research and development direction of microencapsulated PCMs with multifunctional applications in energy efficiency, sustainable processes, high-tech energy management and specific physicochemical effectiveness.

Innovative design of microencapsulated phase change materials for thermal energy storage and versatile applications: a review

Preparation and characterization of PMMA/TiO2 hybrid shell microencapsulated PCMs for thermal energy storage

A n-octadecane/hierarchically porous TiO2 form-stable PCM for thermal energy storage

Synthesis and characterization of PEG/ZSM-5 composite phase change materials for latent heat storage

Novel hybrid microencapsulated phase change materials incorporated wallboard for year-long year energy storage in buildings

Combining phase-change materials (PCM) into building envelopes can improve indoor environmental comfort and reduce energy consumption. To adapt to seasonal changes (e.g., hot summer and cold winter), a novel type of hybrid PCM-containing wallboard (including three different PCMs) was fabricated. The hybrid PCM wallboard has a wide phase-change temperature range and can work under different climates for indoor thermal comfort and energy saving. Reduce-scale test cells, two hybrid PCM wallboard integrated test boxes (including Mode 1 PCM wallboard and Mode 2 PCM wallboard) and another equipped with gypsum wallboards, were compared to study the thermal performance of the PCM contained wallboard in both passive and active systems. The results indicate that the hybrid PCM system can narrow indoor air temperature fluctuations and maintain indoor thermal comfort at any time of the entire year. Mode 2 PCM wallboards were found to be more suitable for regulating the indoor thermal environment , as they exhibited more heat release to the indoors during the daytime and less heat loss at nighttime during winter. Under stimulations of different temperature fluctuations, three different layers of the PCMs worked to respond to the temperature fluctuations. Two indices ( I and E) were put forward to evaluate the thermal performance of the PCM wallboards. The I index showed that Mode 1 PCM wallboard is suitable for reducing fluctuations of indoor temperature in winter and transition season scenarios. According to the E index, throughout one year, Mode 2 PCM wallboard has higher utilization efficiency than that of Mode 1. Finally, a comparative test was performed with the active system to evaluate the energy saving potential of the two hybrid PCM wallboards. The results show that energy consumption in the hybrid PCM wallboard box is nearly 30% less than that of gypsum wallboard.

Experimental thermal performance of wallboard with hybrid microencapsulated phase change materials for building application

Yuan Song

Papers

Preparation and characterization of PMMA/TiO2 hybrid shell microencapsulated PCMs for thermal energy storage

A n-octadecane/hierarchically porous TiO2 form-stable PCM for thermal energy storage

Synthesis and characterization of PEG/ZSM-5 composite phase change materials for latent heat storage

Novel hybrid microencapsulated phase change materials incorporated wallboard for year-long year energy storage in buildings

Experimental thermal performance of wallboard with hybrid microencapsulated phase change materials for building application