Work

Additive Manufacturing of Thermal Energy Storage Composites with Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials Supported in a Multipolymer Matrix

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques to directly integrate phase change materials (PCMs) are of interest for efficient thermal energy storage (TES) architectures. Complex, high surface‐to‐volume ratio composites embedded with PCM can improve thermal management with reduced material waste for customizable device fabrication. Reducing feature sizes of TES‐integrated heat exchangers using AM can increase heat transfer without thermal conductivity enhancement. Here, composite AM materials containing 60 wt% microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCM) are fabricated using off‐the‐shelf printers at common speeds and resolutions. High MEPCM loading in filaments is achieved with powder extrusion using two polymers, thermoplastic‐polyurethane (TPU) and polycaprolactone (PCL), that mediate flexibility and rigidity for effective extrusion and printing without filament fracture or buckling. With PCL and TPU at 20 wt% each and 60 wt% MEPCM (P 20 T 20 M 60 ), smooth, form‐stable filaments are consistently printed. Powder‐based extrusion displays negligible damaging effects on the MEPCM. Printed P 20 T 20 M 60 demonstrates 105 J/g of energy storage with no degradation through 250 thermal cycles, within 5% of the theoretical storage enthalpy. Combining PCL/TPU shows good interfacial adhesion between print layers and produces high surface area objects, like 15% gyroids, and dense, 100% infilled pucks. Prints are also scalable to a 900 cm 3 honeycomb heat exchanger with an estimated 9 Wh energy storage.

Source: Advanced Engineering Materials

DOI: 10.1002/adem.202501289