Preparation and characterization of form-stable paraffin/polycaprolactone composites as phase change materials for thermal energy storage

Paraffin is Phase Change Materials (PCM) that possesses desirable properties such as high thermal energy storage and thermal stability to make it suitable for thermal energy storage applications. However, paraffin has been reported to leak out during the melting process. In this study, composites were prepared by dissolving paraffin and polycaprolactone (PCL) at varied mass percent compositions in chloroform and then purified through precipitation techniques. The leakage test was conducted by placing the composite samples on a set of four-layer filter papers and left in a furnace at 90 degrees C for 1 hour. By incorporating PCL into paraffin phase, the leakage mass percentage was drastically reduced. The PCL polymer matrix in the composites may have trapped the paraffin molecules during melting process thus prevent it from leaking.