Phase change material particles and their application in heat transfer fluids

Abstract

Phase change materials (PCMs) have received considerable attention for the application of thermal energy storage and transfer. This chapter discusses synthesis and characterization of several types of PCM particles, as well as the use of PCMs to enhance the performance of heat transfer fluids. Two different PCM microcapsules are introduced first: one comprises solid–liquid PCM paraffin encapsulated in polymer shell; the other involves solid–solid PCM neopentyl glycol (NPG) core and silica shell. Then the synthesis of low-melting metallic nanoparticles and NPG nanoparticles without shells are discussed. The last part of this chapter is dedicated to a new type of phase-changeable fluids, nanoemulsion fluids, in which the dispersed nanodroplets can be liquid–vapor PCM or liquid–solid PCM, depending on the PCM properties and the operating temperature. Material synthesis and property characterizations of these phase-changeable fluids are two main aspects of this chapter.