Myristic acid/polyaniline composites as form stable phase change materials for thermal energy storage

• PANI is applied as supporting materials in form-stable PCMs.
• MA/PANI form-stable PCM possesses thermal energy storage capacity of 150.6 J/g.
• Preparation of the form-stable PCM is very simple and convenient.
• The thermal energy storage capacity of the MA/PANI form-stable PCM is tunable.

Form-stable phase change materials (PCMs) possess the advantages of direct use without additional encapsulation, making their practical applications more feasible comparing to solid–liquid PCMs. In this paper, a new kind of myristic acid (MA)/polyaniline (PANI) form-stable PCMs were readily prepared by means of surface polymerization method. MA and PANI were applied as thermal energy storage material and supporting material, respectively. Morphology and structure characterization revealed that in the form-stable PCMs, MA particles were wrapped by PANI particles, which in turn were polymerized from aniline. Thermal stability and thermal energy storage properties of the prepared form-stable PCMs were investigated by means of thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results indicated that the form-stable PCMs exhibited good thermal stability when their phase change temperature was concerned. The highest loading of MA in the form-stable PCM with good form stability could attain 82 wt%, corresponding to the phase change enthalpy of 150.63 J/g.

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