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The effect of diameter on the thermal properties of the modeled shape-stabilized phase change nanofibers (PCNs)

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Abstract

The main objective of the present study is to investigate the effect of diameter on thermal properties of phase change fibers at nanoscale in order to develop a shape-stabilized phase change material (PCM). In this regard, polyethylene glycol/cellulose acetate (PEG/CA) electrospun nanofibers as a model of PCM/polymer structure were electrospun. The electrospinning process was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) to produce phase change nanofibers (PCNs) with achievable minimum and maximum diameter at nanoscale range. Therefore, PCNs with minimum and maximum diameter (223 nm and 545 nm, respectively) were successfully prepared. According to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results, the PCNs sample with maximum diameter exhibited higher efficiency of enthalpy (49.41 %) than the PCNs sample with minimum diameter (46.24 %). On the other hand, a test based on the T-history method revealed that PCNs with maximum diameter enjoy higher thermal insulation effect. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as DSC results showed that the PCNs samples exposed to thermal cycling test not only preserved their structural durability, but also exhibited about twofold increasing in the efficiency of enthalpy than the non-exposed samples. According to thermogravimetric analysis (TG) results, due to successful entrapping, a fraction of PCMs within the structure of polymer matrix, PCNs sample display greater thermal stability comparing to the pure PCM. The present work emphasises that at nanoscale range, higher diameter of PCNs can present more favorable thermal behavior; suggesting a great potential for advanced applications of thermal energy storage and thermal regulating materials fields.

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Abbreviations

PCM:

Phase change material

PCNs:

Phase change nanofibers

PCUFs:

Phase change ultrafine fibers

RSM:

Response surface methodology

TES:

Thermal energy storage

BBD:

Box-Behnken design

DS:

Degree of substitution

EPS:

Expanded polystyrene

MR:

Mass ratio

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

∆H m(exp) :

Experimental value for heat of fusion

∆H m(the) :

Theoretical value for heat of fusion

Mn:

Number average molar mass

R 2 :

Correlation coefficient

V h :

Heating rate

T c :

Crystallization temperature

T m :

Melting temperature

∆H m :

Enthalpy of melting

∆H c :

Enthalpy of crystallization

T onset :

Onset mass loss temperature

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Textile Engineering, AmirKabir University of Technology, Tehran, 15875-4413, Iran

    Babak Rezaei, Mohsen Askari, Ahmad Mousavi Shoushtari & Reza Ali Mohamad Malek

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  1. Babak Rezaei
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  2. Mohsen Askari
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  3. Ahmad Mousavi Shoushtari
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  4. Reza Ali Mohamad Malek
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Correspondence to Ahmad Mousavi Shoushtari.

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Rezaei, B., Askari, M., Shoushtari, A.M. et al. The effect of diameter on the thermal properties of the modeled shape-stabilized phase change nanofibers (PCNs). J Therm Anal Calorim 118, 1619–1629 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-014-4025-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-014-4025-7

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