Effects of MicroPCMs on the fabrication of MicroPCMs/polyurethane composite foams

Polyurethane (PU) composite foam containing microencapsulated phase change materials (MicroPCMs) was fabricated by adding heat-treated microencapsulated n-octadecane in reactants. The microcapsules are evenly inserted inside the foam. The composite foam absorbs heat energy at approximately 31 °C, and releases heat energy at approximately 28 °C. The enthalpy of the foam rises with the increase of the content of MicroPCMs. It is above 12 J/g for the foam containing 12.59 wt% MicroPCMs. The addition of MicroPCMs has no significant influence to the thermal stability of polyurethane foam.