Production of Melamine-Formaldehyde PCM Microcapsules with Ammonia Scavenger used for Residual Formaldehyde Reduction

Paraffinic phase change materials (PCM) were microencapsulated by in situ polymerization of melamine-formaldehyde prepolymers. Partly methylated trimethylolmelamine was used as an aminoaldehyde prepolymer for the microcapsule wall, a styrene-maleic acid anhydride copolymer as an emulsifier and modifying agent, and ammonia as a scavenger for reducing residual formaldehyde. For the determination of residual formaldehyde in a ppm concentration range, EDANA and malachite green analytical methods were studied, and the EDANA 210.1-99 was applied for the determination of residual formaldehyde in 25 samples of microcapsules, produced in a 200-L reactor. A linear correlation was observed between the added ammonia scavenger concentration and the reduction of residual formaldehyde concentration. Compared with 0.45% (4500 ppm) formaldehyde in a non-treated microcapsule suspension, with ammonia scavenger concentrations 0.80, 0.90 and 1.35%, the concentration of residual formaldehyde dropped to 0.27, 0.20 and 0.09% (i.e. 2700, 2000 and 900 ppm), respectively. Morphological characterisation of microcapsules by SEM and microcapsule wall permeability measurements by gravimetry / mass loss at an elevated temperature (135 °C) suggested that ammonia positively contributed to the wall elasticity / durability, while microcapsules with no ammonia scavenger added tended to have more brittle walls, and were more prone to cracking.