Synthesis and thermal properties of poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile)-graft-polyethylene glycol copolymers as novel solid–solid phase change materials for thermal energy storage

• Published in: Chinese chemical letters 2015-11, Vol.26 (11), p.1364-1366
• Main Authors: Mu, Si-Yang, Guo, Jing, Gong, Yu-Mei, Zhang, Sen, Yu, Yue
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Energy storage and conversion; Phase change material; Polyethylene glycol; Thermal properties
• ISSN: 1001-8417; 1878-5964
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2015.07.013

A novel poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile)-graft-polyethylene glycol copolymer was synthesized as new solid–solid phase change materials, which have high enthalpy and great heat storage durability. A novel poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile)-graft-polyethylene glycol (SAN-g-PEG) copolymer was synthesized as new solid–solid phase change materials (SSPCMs) by grafting PEG to the main chain of poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile). The chemical structure of the SAN-g-PEG was confirmed by the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy techniques. The thermal energy storage properties and the storage durability of the SAN-g-PEG were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The SAN-g-PEG was endowed with the solid–solid phase transition temperatures within the range of 23–36°C and the latent heat enthalpy ranged from 66.8kJ/kg to 68.3kJ/kg. Thermal cycling tests revealed that the SAN-g-PEG kept great heat storage durability after 1000 thermal cycles. The thermal stability was evaluated by a thermal gravity analysis (TGA), and the initial decomposition temperature (Td) of SAN-g-PEG is 350°C, which proves that the SAN-g-PEG possessed good thermal stability.