Thermal and Phase Change Material Properties of Comb-Like Polyacrylic Acid-Grafted-Fatty Alcohols

Poly(acrylic acid)-graft-fatty alcohol are synthesized from the esterification of polyacrylic acid with octadecanol and docosanol. The characterization of poly(acrylic acid)-graft-fatty alcohol was performed by attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The thermal stability performances and phase change behaviors of poly(acrylic acid)-graft-fatty alcohol were examined by using thermogravimetric analysis system and differential scanning calorimetry. The results indicate that the poly(acrylic acid)-graft-fatty alcohol polymeric phase change materials possess good phase change properties and provide a suitable working temperature range. The heating process phase change enthalpy is measured between 112 and 122?J g^?1, and the freezing process phase change enthalpy is found between 118 and 126?J g^?1. The decomposition of poly(acrylic acid)-graft-fatty alcohol polymeric phase change materials started at 177°C and reached a maximum of 380°C. All of the obtained poly(acrylic acid)-graft-fatty alcohol polymeric phase change materials improved latent heat storage capacity in comparison with the pristine poly(acrylic acid) polymer. With the obtained results we conclude that, these materials promise a great potential in thermal energy storage applications.