Sprayable cellulose nanofibrils stabilized phase change material Pickering emulsion for spray coating application

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Phase change materials (PCMs) are crucial for thermal energy storage and temperature uniformity, especially in textiles.
• Organic PCMs offer advantages for temperature control but face challenges like thermal leaking and instability.
• Developing stable and effective PCM formulations is key for advanced textile applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To stabilize paraffin Pickering emulsions using cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) as emulsifiers.
• To evaluate the thermal properties and stability of CNF-stabilized paraffin emulsions.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of applying these emulsions to fabrics for thermal regulation.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing ultrasonication to create paraffin Pickering emulsions stabilized by CNFs.
• Characterizing emulsion particle size and stability under thermal stress.
• Assessing thermal properties, including latent heat and cycle stability, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

Main Results:

• Uniform PCM emulsion particles (4.2 ± 2.1 μm) were achieved with optimized CNF concentration and sonication parameters.
• The CNF-stabilized paraffin emulsion exhibited excellent long-term stability at 45°C for 28 days.
• High thermal stability was confirmed after 51 heating-cooling cycles, with a latent heat of 117.6 J/g.

Conclusions:

• Cellulose nanofibrils effectively stabilize paraffin emulsions for thermal energy storage.
• The CNF-stabilized paraffin emulsions demonstrate superior thermal stability and energy storage capacity.
• Spray-coating these emulsions onto fabrics offers a promising route to develop advanced thermal-regulating textiles.