A novel design and synthesis of multifunctional magnetic chitosan microsphere based on phase change materials

Abstract A new type of multifunctional magnetic chitosan microspheres based on phase change materials (M-PCM-CTS, M represents magnetic, PCM represents phase change materials and CTS represents chitosan) were designed and synthesized through multi-emulsification and cross-linking method. The chemical compositions and structures of M-PCM-CTS were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). M-PCM-CTS presented a regular spherical morphology with a uniform diameter of 500 μm. Thermal analysis indicated that the M-PCM-CTS not only revealed reliable phase change performance with a maximum thermal enthalpy of 80 J/g, but also exhibited various melting and crystallization temperature depending on the length of alkanes chain. The multifunctional microspheres developed in this work would open up a new synthesis route for a wide range of multifunction polymers and finds novel opportunities for use in the fields of thermal energy storage, adsorption and magnetic effectiveness.