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Synthesis and properties of bulk-biodegradable phase change materials based on polyethylene glycol for thermal energy storage

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Abstract

The bulk-biodegradable solid–solid phase change materials (SSPCMs) based on phase change polyethylene glycol (PEG) were synthesized by solvent-free polyaddition. On the basis of the fact that the water absorption is up to 800 mass% and that the poly(ethylene oxide) molecular chains can be degraded by microorganisms, the bulk-biodegradable mechanism of SSPCMs was put forward and studied. The X-ray diffraction patterns and the polarizing optical microscopy images show the SSPCMs possess the defective crystal and small grain compared with PEG. The differential scanning calorimetry data demonstrate the melting temperature and enthalpy of the synthesized SSPCMs are, respectively, 41 °C and 128 J g−1. The bulk-biodegradable SSPCMs have the preeminent thermal reliability and the high thermal stability due to the onset thermal degradation temperature above 302 °C, which will give a good insight into bulk-biodegradable PCM system.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the financial support from National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 51603132) and the program for excellent young talent (Yunnan University).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China

    Xiaowei Fu, Yanyan Zhang, Weibo Kong, Xiaofeng Chen, Changlin Zhou & Jingxin Lei

  2. School of Chemistry Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China

    Jiliang Wang

Authors
  1. Xiaowei Fu
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  2. Yanyan Zhang
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  3. Weibo Kong
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  4. Xiaofeng Chen
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  5. Jiliang Wang
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  6. Changlin Zhou
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  7. Jingxin Lei
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Correspondence to Changlin Zhou or Jingxin Lei.

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Fu, X., Zhang, Y., Kong, W. et al. Synthesis and properties of bulk-biodegradable phase change materials based on polyethylene glycol for thermal energy storage. J Therm Anal Calorim 128, 643–651 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-016-5959-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-016-5959-8

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