Synthesis of novel phase change material microcapsule and its application

A novel phase change material (PCM) microcapsule possessing a thermally conductive but electrically insulated shell is synthesized. The vinylsilane compound is polymerized with the acrylic monomer to first form a copolymer, with the thermally conductive inorganic material subsequently added. Thereafter, the PCM microcapsule with the paraffin core and the thermally conductive but electrically insulated material-containing copolymer as the shell is prepared through mini-suspension polymerization. The results of the heat transfer rate test revealed that PCM microcapsules can store and release heat more quickly and can reduce the heating and cooling times by approximately 48% and 42%, respectively. With PCM microcapsules applied in a battery module, the decrement of temperature at the center of the battery module could reach 7.3 degrees C. Therefore, PCM microcapsules which possess heat conductive and electrical non-conductive properties could be applied in electronic devices such as in batteries to prolong their service life. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.