Microencapsulation of Al-Zn alloy as phase change materials for high-temperature thermal storage application

Abstract Microencapsulation of Al-Zn alloy as novel phase change materials was proposed. The three-step process of microencapsulated PCMs (MEPCMs) was proposed in this work, including boehmite treatment, thermal oxidation treatment and copper plating treatment, to form composite shell of dense and durable Al2O3, ZnO and Cu. The MEPCMs have high heat storage capacity, high thermal stability and excellent cycling performance. Moreover, the cracks and leakage of the capsule particles was hardly observed after 50 cycles of melting-solidification. The as-prepared MEPCMs can be widely used in the recycling of industrial waste heat, building energy conservation and aerospace.