Lignin assisted Pickering emulsion polymerization to microencapsulate 1-tetradecanol for thermal management

This work explored the use of Pickering emulsion stabilized by lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) to microencapsulate 1-tetradecanol (TDA) via polymerization of acrylates for thermal management. The morphology and thermal performance of the resulting microcapsules were explored using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). A highest encapsulation ratio of 81.4% and melting enthalpy of 190 J/g could be achieved when the core/shell mass ratio was 2:1, and 10 wt% of the crosslinking monomer pentaerythritol tetraacrylate (PETRA) was used. Results of the leakage and accelerated thermal cycling tests showed that the microcapsules had good thermal and chemical stability. When the microcapsules were combined with gypsum, an effective thermal storage composite was obtained, showing good potential for thermal management in the construction field.