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Updated: Apr 5, 2026
Triplet Fusion Upconversion Nanocapsule Synthesis
Published on: September 7, 2022
Nano-encapsulated PCM via Pickering Emulsification
Xuezhen Wang1, Lecheng Zhang2, Yi-Hsien Yu3
11] Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 7843-3122, USA [2] Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center, Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3122, USA [3] Soft Matter Center, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory on Functional Soft Condensed Matter, School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
Abstract:
We designed a two-step Pickering emulsification procedure to create nano-encapsulated phase changing materials (NEPCMs) using a method whose simplicity and low energy consumption suggest promise for scale-up and mass production. Surface-modified amphiphilic zirconium phosphate (ZrP) platelets were fabricated as the Pickering emulsifiers, nonadecane was chosen as the core phase change material (PCM), and polystyrene, the shell material. The resultant capsules were submicron in size with remarkable uniformity in size distribution, which has rarely been reported. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) characterization showed that the capsulation efficiency of NEPCMs, and they were found to be thermal stable, as characterized by the DSC data for the sample after 200 thermal cycles. NEPCMs exhibit superior mechanical stability and mobility when compared with the well-developed micro-encapsulated phase change materials (MEPCMs). NEPCMs find useful applications in thermal management, including micro-channel coolants; solar energy storage media; building temperature regulators; and thermal transfer fabrics.
