Efficient and Secure Encapsulation of a Natural Phase Change Material in Nanofibers Using Coaxial Electrospinning for Sustainable Thermal Energy Storage

초록

Coaxial electrospinning was used to efficiently and securelyencapsulate a natural phase change material in polymer core-sheathnanofibers for sustainable thermal energy storage. In this study, wepresent an ecofriendly technique forencapsulatinglauric acid (LA), a natural phase change material, within polystyrene(PS) nanofibers through coaxial electrospinning. The resulting LAPScore-sheath nanofibers exhibited a melting enthalpy of up to136.6 J/g, representing 75.8% of the heat storage capacity of pristineLA (180.2 J/g), a value surpassing all previously reported core-sheathfibers. Scanning electron microscopy revealed uniform LAPS nanofibersfree of surface LA until the core LA feed rate reached 1.3 mL/h. Asthe core LA feed rate increased, the fiber diameter shrank from 2.24 & PLUSMN; 0.31 to 0.58 & PLUSMN; 0.45 & mu;m. Infrared spectra demonstrateda proportional increase in the LA content with rising core LA injectionrates. Thermogravimetric analysis found the maximum core LA contentin core-sheath nanofibers to be 75.0%. Differential scanningcalorimetry thermograms displayed a trend line shift upon LA leakagefor LA(1.3)PS nanofibers. LAPS fibers containing 75.0% LAeffectively maintained consistent cycling stability and reusabilityacross 100 heating-cooling cycles (20-60 & DEG;C) withoutheat storage deterioration. The core LA remained securely within thePS sheath after 100 cycles, and the LAPS nanofibers retained an excellentstructural integrity without rupture. The energy-dense and form-stableLAPS core-sheath nanofibers have great potential for variousthermal energy storage applications, such as building insulation,smart textiles, and electronic cooling systems, providing efficienttemperature regulation and energy conservation.

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