Novel phase change materials based on fatty acid eutectics and triallyl isocyanurate composites for thermal energy storage

In this study, a series of dimension‐stabilized fatty acid eutectics and triallyl isocyanurate (TAIC) composite phase change materials were prepared via in situ reaction by blending the fatty acids and TAIC, in which the fatty acids were introduced as a phase change material (PCM), and TAIC performed as a supporting material by self‐crosslinking. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis were applied to investigate the chemical structure, crystalline properties, phase transition behavior, microstructure, and thermal stability of the composites. The results indicated that the composite possessed excellent thermal reliability and heat storage durability even after 300 heating–cooling cycles. Moreover, the composites had applicable phase transition temperatures in the range of 26–40 °C and satisfying latent heat storage capacities of higher than 110 J/g. The SEM images showed that the particle size of the nanoparticles of the composites was about 200 nm after treatment. The dimensional measurement of the composites proved a high service temperature of 100 °C, indicating that the composites were promising for thermal energy storage materials. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44866.