Facile synthesis and performances of PEG/SiO2 composite form-stable phase change materials

•Ultrasound assisted sol–gel method was used to synthesize PEG/SiO2 composite PCMs.•No surfactant or co-solvent was used in the preparation process.•The enthalpy of the PCMs does not change after repeated thermal cycling.•The PCMs display excellent form-stable effect and good phase-change performance.

A facile route based on ultrasound-assisted sol–gel method has been developed and applied to rapid synthesis of polyethylene glycol (PEG)/silicon dioxide (SiO2) composite form-stable phase change materials (PCMs) without co-solvent and surfactant. This method was carried out under ultrasonic power of 300 W using HCl and Na2CO3 as the acidic and alkaline catalyst, respectively. The temperature is below 50 °C. The PCMs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis apparatus (TGA) measurements. The PCMs display low density, high volume energy density, excellent form-stable effect, good phase-change and temperature control performance, which are very important for the actual application of PCMs in energy-saving construction materials.

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