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Designing Natural Rubber Shape Stabilized Phase Change Materials: Impact of Matrix Network on Thermophysical
Marc Neira-Viñas1, Nicolas Candau2,3, Ana Inés Fernández1
1DIOPMA Research Group, Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 28, 2026
Summary
Researchers explored shape-stabilized phase change materials (SSPCMs) using crosslinked natural rubber (NR) matrices. They found limited phase change material (PCM) content and reduced thermal properties due to confinement within the rubber network.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Energy Storage
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Shape-stabilized phase change materials (SSPCMs) integrate high thermal energy storage (TES) density with structural integrity.
- Polymeric matrices offer cost-effectiveness and processability for SSPCMs.
- Crosslinked natural rubber (NR) is an underexplored matrix for SSPCMs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prepare and characterize room-temperature tailorable SSPCMs using natural rubber (NR) matrices with varying crosslink densities.
- To quantify the stable phase change material (PCM) content within the NR matrix.
- To investigate the impact of NR matrix confinement on PCM thermophysical properties.
Main Methods:
- Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was employed to evaluate SSPCM preparation and properties.
- NR matrices were crosslinked using dicumyl peroxide (DCP) or sulfur to control crosslink density.
- The content and thermal behavior of the encapsulated PCM were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Stable PCM content within the NR matrix was found to be low, ranging from 16% to 24%.
- Encapsulated PCM exhibited reduced enthalpies (16-20 J·g⁻¹) compared to bulk values.
- Confinement in the NR network caused a melting point depression of up to 23.6 °C, influenced by crosslink density.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights challenges in achieving high PCM loading in NR matrices for SSPCMs.
- Confinement effects significantly alter the thermophysical properties of PCMs within the rubber network.
- Further research is needed to understand and optimize NR-PCM composite structures for effective TES applications.
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