A novel thermal-insulating film incorporating microencapsulated phase-change materials for temperature regulation and nano-TiO2 for UV-blocking
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2015 Elsevier B.V. Allrightsreserved. Phase-change materials (PCMs) have promising applications in the fields of solar energy storage, energy conservation in buildings, thermal insulation, and thermal regulation. In this study, novel multifunctional composite films were prepared via a thermosetting process using poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) as a film matrix, microencapsulated PCMs (micro-PCMs) as a temperature-regulating additive and TiO2 nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) as a UV-blocking additive. The latent heat of the film fabricated with 6 wt% micro-PCMs and 6 wt% nano-TiO2 is 9.226 J/g. The film also shows high thermal stability, with no obvious change in thermal performance after 100 heating-cooling cycles. The temperature of a space enclosed by the film fabricated with 6 wt% micro-PCMs and 6 wt% nano-TiO2 can be controlled in the range 25-28 C for 3298 s. The composite films exhibit a significantly decreased UV transmittance due to the UV absorption of nano-TiO2. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of the sample fabricated with 6 wt% micro-PCMs and 6 wt% nano-TiO2 is 0.2356 W/(m K), which is comparable with that of a pure PVC film. These findings indicate that the novel thermal-insulating film is promising for use in energy-efficient building and automobile applications.
