Synthesis of cyanoacrylate-covered xylitol microcapsules for thermal storage

Thermal storage techniques that use phase-change materials have recently attracted increased attention. Xylitol, a phase-change material, is viable for thermal storage and has both higher thermal storage capacity and phase-change temperature than those of its widely used counterpart, n-alkane. Micro-encapsulation of these phase-change materials results in an increase of both the surface area per unit volume and the transportability of the particles in the form of a slurry or emulsion. A simple and novel method was developed for synthetizing a cyanoacrylate polymer-covered xylitol microcapsule. These microcapsules were synthetized by stirring, for 1 min, molten xylitol and cyanoacrylate emulsions, which were both dispersed in silicone oil. Most of the microcapsules had sizes of less than 100 μm with the average size being 35 μm. Moreover, cyanoacrylate-covered xylitol microcapsules could stably store waste heat for several weeks at ordinary temperatures and pressures, and, with the aid of physical stimuli, use this stored heat. Therefore, these microcapsules are potentially viable for use in circulating heat carriers and sources, and have significant potential for the effective utilization of energy.