Preparation and Characterization of N-Eicosane PCM with Urea-Formaldehyde Shell

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) have recently found a wide range of new application opportunities. In this study, PCMs microcapsules have been synthesized with urea–formaldehyde polymer shell. The microcapsules have been characterized by FT-IR, SEM, TEM, and DSC analysis. Then, the thermophysical characteristics of the MEPCM suspension including the thermal conductivity, and viscosity have been measured at different particle concentration (2, 5 and 10 wt%) and different temperatures from 25 to 50 °C. New correlations are developed to predict the thermophysical characteristics of MEPCM suspensions. This work provides a practical and efficient synthetic strategy for the preparation of MEPCMs, which is expected to present a promising future in the field of energy storage.