Preparation and Characterization of Degradable Lactic-Acid-Based Phase Change Microcapsules

Phase change microcapsules have a wide range of applications, but as a type of microplastic, they pose a certain environmental pollution risk. In this article, we prepared degradable lactic-acid-based phase change microcapsules by using PLA diol (PLA-500)-modified IPDI and BDO as wall materials and n-octadecane as the core material via an interfacial polymerization method. The optimal process conditions for microcapsule preparation were explored through experiments. The results showed that at a core/shell ratio of 4:1, the prepared microcapsules exhibit good morphology, uniform particle size distribution, and high phase change thermal storage capacity, with a melting enthalpy of 171.9 J/g. The lactic-acid-based phase change microcapsules had a certain degradation capacity.