Multifunctional polymer composites reinforced with discontinuous carbon fibers for thermal energy storage

In this work, multifunctional semistructural composites for thermal energy storage (TES) were produced by adding discontinuous carbon fibers and a microencapsulated paraffin in a thermoplastic (polyamide 12, PA12) or thermosetting (epoxy) matrix. The microstructural, thermal and mechanical properties of the resulting composites were investigated. SEM images demonstrated the achievement of a good microfiller dispersion and an acceptable fiber-matrix adhesion in both cases. DSC tests revealed that, for both matrices, the melting enthalpy increased with the capsules amount, but the TES capability of the PA12 composites was limited by the partial capsules breakage and the consequent molten paraffin leakage during melt compounding, while no enthalpy decrease was detected for epoxy composites. The introduction of microcapsules in both matrices determined a decrease of the elastic modulus, stress at yield and deformation at break, even when a carbon reinforcement was present, probably because of the limited interfacial adhesion between the matrix and the microcapsules. © CCM 2020 - 18th European Conference on Composite Materials. All rights reserved.