Nanoencapsulation of phase change materials (PCMs) and their applications in various fields for energy storage and management

Today, the use of phase change materials (PCMs) with remarkable properties for energy storage and development of engineering systems is an extremely important topic, due to enhanced demand for energy consumption. PCMs could be generally subdivided into solid-liquid, liquid-gas, solid-gas, and solid-solid groups. It should be noted that since there is no single excellent PCM that comprises all the suitable physical, chemical, kinetic, thermal, and economic properties, PCMs could be improved by incorporating some additives, modifying PCM structures, and optimizing the storage systems. Nanoencapsulation of PCMs, as an effective technique, can increase their thermal conductivity, barricades their leak during the melting operation, and their possible interactions with the surrounding matrix. Furthermore, there are several methods for fabricating nanocapsules loaded with PCMs including chemical (i.e., emulsion polymerization, mini-emulsion polymerization, in situ polymerization, and interfacial polymerization), physicochemical (sol-gel entrapment), and physicomechanical techniques (electrohydrodynamic processes). Accordingly, the energy storage and release of nanoencapsulated PCMs has been become an important field in many applications such as electronic devices, food industry, buildings, solar energy storage, heat exchangers, packed bed designs, space systems, textiles, etc. This study has been focused on various PCMs, their nanoencapsulation methods, phase change fibers, as well as their potential applications in energy storing and management goals in various fields. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.