Thermal Energy Storage Performance Enhancement of Microencapsulated n-Tetracosane with a Polymorph-Modulated Calcium Carbonate Shell

Microencapsulated n-tetracosane as a phase change material with an inorganic calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) shell has been synthesized through a self-assembly process with varying pH value of a precursor solution, and the resultant materials were systematically investigated. Spherical microcapsules with a mean diameter of less than 3 μm were seen by microscopic observation. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the presence of three CaCO₃ polymorphs such as calcite, aragonite, and vaterite in the shell, and these compositions depended on the solution pH. This fact was also confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectra and reflected in the surface morphology of microcapsules. The characterization of the phase change behavior has shown no significant change in the phase change temperatures and more than 170 mJ/mg of phase change enthalpies with the microcapsules synthesized at pH = 1. This enthalpy corresponds to 69.2% of encapsulation efficiency which is improved from the value reported by other microcapsules with CaCO₃ shells. Thermal cycling analysis exhibited good reliability and durability of phase change phenomena in the long term. These results demonstrate a promising potential of microcapsules for developing thermal energy storage materials at a mild temperature range, which can be applied for waste heat recovery applications.