High-throughput experiment for the rapid screening of organic phase change materials

An emerging dynamic calorimetry method based on infrared thermography (IRT method) has recently proven to be of great interest for the fast establishment of the phase diagrams of binary systems of organic materials (sugar alcohols, fatty acids, fatty alcohols). The methods allowed for their determination in a single 2-h experiment when standard techniques require weeks of measurements hence enabling a significant improvement of the efficiency of material screening processes. As adding a component to the system greatly increases the number of compositions to be studied (21 for binary, 231 for ternary assuming a 5 mol% increment between compositions), the IRT method may be of even greater use with increasing system complexity. This work then aims at studying the applicability of IRT for the fast establishment of phase diagrams of ternary systems with the lauric (LA), myristic (MA), and palmitic (PA) fatty acids ternary system as an illustrative case. A phase diagram in agreement with the results of the literature and with DSC measurements is established using IRT in a few hours-experiments instead of weeks to months with standard methods. The obtained results (e.g.67 mol%LA + 23 mol%MA + 10 mol%PA for the eutectic composition, occurrence of a ternary eutectic reaction at 32 degrees C) are promising. This technique also successfully allows for rapid exploration of the phase diagram: reconstruction of the liquidus surface, identification of the eutectic transition, 4-phase equilibrium. IRT is a particularly interesting high-throughput characterization method for the establishment of the phase diagrams of ternary (or higher-order) systems.

Automated summary

The IRT method is a new dynamic calorimetry method based on infrared thermography that has been proven to efficiently establish phase diagrams of binary systems of organic materials. It shows potential for application in ternary systems with increased complexity.