Multifunctional structural composites for thermal energy storage

This review introduces the concept of thermal energy storage (TES) and phase change materials 14 (PCMs), with a special focus on organic solid-liquid PCMs, their confinement methods and their thermal 15 management applications al low-medium temperatures (0-100 °C). It then investigates the approach of 16 embedding TES and thermal management functionalities in structural materials, through the 17 development of multifunctional polymer composites that could find applications where weight saving 18 and temperature management are equally important. The concept of structural TES composite is 19 presented through the description of three case studies about thermoplastic structural or semi-structural 20 composites containing a paraffinic PCM: (i) a polyamide/glass laminate containing a microencapsulated 21 or shape-stabilized paraffin; (ii) a polyamide-based composite reinforced with discontinuous carbon 22 fibers and containing paraffin microcapsules, and (iii) a carbon fiber laminate with a reactive 23 thermoplastic acrylic matrix and a microencapsulated paraffin.