Structure and thermal performance of poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)-g-alkyl alcohol comb-like copolymeric phase change materials

• The length of alkyl side-chains determines the thermal energy storage ability.
• SMA backbone restricts the crystallization of alkyl side groups.
• SMA-g-CnOH PCMs have the better thermal stability against 1-alcohols.

A series of comb-like copolymeric phase change materials (SMA-g-CnOH) composed of poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (SMA) and 1-alcohols CnOH with n = 14, 16, 18 or 26, respectively, was synthesized through grafting reaction. The structure and thermal properties of SMA-g-CnOH were investigated by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The DSC analysis indicates that SMA-g-CnOH exhibit good structure stability with phase change enthalpies changing from 37.9 to 110.7 J g−1. The results showed that the low thermal efficiency of SMA-g-CnOH was ascribed to the small CH2 segments of side chains participating in the assembled structure of side-chain crystallites. Their advantageous structural stability and thermal performance of SMA-g-CnOH were favorable for phase change materials in the thermal energy storage systems. Additionally, the influence of side-chain length on thermal properties of SMA-g-CnOH also was discussed in detail in combination with the published results.

SMA-g-CnOH comb-like PCMs exhibit the better thermal stability against 1-alcohols due to the protection of SMA backbones, and the degradation temperature is dependent on the side-chain length, where at 5 wt% weight loss Td increased from 193 to 257 °C with n changing from 14 to 26. SMA-g-CnOH PCMs can be widely used under 300 °C for preparation of energy-saving products and materials.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide