Fabrication of a novel temperature sensitive phase change system based on ZnO@PNIPAM core-satellites and 1-tetradecanol as gatekeeper

Abstract Phase change materials (PCMs) with large latent heat capacity and efficient thermal response have great potential for thermal management in various applications. Uniform phase change composite beads were fabricated based on phase change medium 1-tetradecanol (TD) as gatekeeper and core-satellites zinc oxide @ poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (ZnO@PNIPAM) using a simple injection device at 50 ℃. It was demonstrated that the ZnO@PNIPAM/TD PCM system possessed a high latent heat value of 230 J g−1. The ZnO nanospheres acted as the core and the phase change material TD was the shell. Furthermore, the satellites PNIPAM nanoparticles acted as a reservoir. The enthalpy values of ZnO@PNIPAM/TD kept high (233.04 J g−1 and 229.41 J g−1) compared with pure TD. The suitable melting temperature of the temperature sensitive PCM is about 38.5 ℃ close to the human body temperature. The unique core-satellites structure of the system can store small molecules, which not only has its own excellent characteristics but also can give the system rich functionality.