A thermal energy storage composite by incorporating microencapsulated phase change material into wood.

Phase change energy storage wood (PCESW) was prepared by using microencapsulated phase change materials (MicroPCM) as thermal energy storage (TES) materials and wood as the matrix. The incorporation of MicroPCM and wood was realized using a vacuum impregnation method. The morphology and microstructure of MicroPCM, delignified wood (DLW) and PCESW were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM); the thermal properties including phase change temperature, enthalpy, thermal stability, thermal conductivity of MicroPCM and PCESW were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and laser flash analysis (LFA). The results showed that: (1) delignification improved the porosity of wood and enhanced the impregnation effect, MicroPCM got into the delignified wood successfully and mainly distributed in the vessels; (2) PCESW had excellent energy storage capacity and suitable phase transition temperature for regulating indoor temperature; (3) PCESW had prior thermal stability at room temperature and great durability after 100 heating-cooling cycles; (4) addition of graphene greatly improved the thermal conductivity of PCESW. The TES composite can be used as an indoor temperature regulating material for building energy conservation.