Abstract
The objective of this study is to develop a new technique for producing a phase change material (PCM) loaded biopolymer capsule for thermo-regulating textiles. Electro-coextrusion process fabricated a series of microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) based on n-nonadecane core and alginate shell. The influence of the flow rate ratio of the shell/core on the formation, encapsulation efficiency and thermal behaviour of a microencapsulated PCM has been investigated. The MEPCM was characterised using optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DCS). The size and the encapsulation efficiency of a capsule decreased as the flow rate ratio of the shell/core increased. The PCM microcapsules contained 56–84% n-nonadecane and the size range from 200 to 400 µm, as evaluated by DSC and optical microscopy, respectively. The experimental results show that the electro-coextrusion method has a potential technology for the encapsulation of PCMs for thermal storage.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.