Types, methods, techniques, and applications for microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCM): a review

Abstract

Phase change materials (PCM) can be employed in many fields because of their capacity to absorb and release energy when it is necessary. Nowadays, the number of studies about these materials is increasing because of their benefits in energy systems. This paper reviews the previous researches and developments on microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCM) in thermal energy storage (TES) systems, focusing on the different methods of encapsulations and also the different applications of these materials. This review aims to be a useful guide for the researchers in this area, because it explains the different types of phase change core materials, the different shells, the methods to microencapsulate these PCM, the most used techniques to characterize these microencapsulated phase change materials, and a revision of the main applications.

The work is partially funded by the Spanish government (ENE2011-28269-C03-02 and ENE2011-22722). The authors would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to their research group GREA (2014 SGR 123) and research group DIOPMA (2014 SGR 1543). The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under Grant agreement no. PIRSES-GA-2013-610692 (INNOSTORAGE).