Thermal storage nanocapsules by miniemulsion polymerization

Paraffin wax was nanoencapsulated by miniemulsion polymerization. Low solid content batch polymerizations were carried out and the influence of paraffin wax/methyl methacrylate ratio on polymeriztion kinetics, phase change properties, and thermal stability were investigated. Paraffin concentration controls the nucleation mechanism and nanocapsules particle size. The latent heat capacity increases as the content of encapsulated paraffin wax increases. The maximum amount of encapsulated paraffin wax achieved under the experimental conditions was 60 wt %, presenting a latent heat capacity of 140.3 J/g. Moreover, the encapsulated systems present in all cases better thermal stability than pure paraffin wax. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013