Thermal Energy Storage with Polymer Composites

This work focuses on the development and characterization of multifunctional continuous fiber composites for thermal energy storage (TES). Several combinations of matrices (thermoplastic, reactive thermoplastic, thermosetting), reinforcements (glass and carbon fibers) and phase change materials (PCMs, microencapsulated or shapestabilized) have been considered, and three classes of laminates have been produced and compared. It was observed that an increase in the PCM content leads to a rise in the TES capability but also to a decrease of the mechanical properties such as the elastic modulus and the mechanical strength. Moreover, the processing conditions for typical thermoplastic matrices resulted to be quite severe for the employed PCMs, which are subjected to thermal degradation. Conversely, the mild processing conditions adopted for the thermosetting and reactive thermoplastic resins is more suitable to preserve the overall thermal performance of PCMs.