Preparation, thermal properties and applications of shape-stabilized thermal energy storage materials

Phase change materials (PCMs) have received attention for various applications in solar heating systems, building energy conservation and air-conditioning systems. However, they need encapsulation in order to prevent leakage of the melted PCM during the phase change process. Now, these problems can be solved by using shape-stabilized PCMs. These shape-stabilized PCMs can be prepared by integrating the PCMs into the supporting material and microencapsulating the PCMs into the shell. This paper presents a review on preparation, thermal properties and applications of shape-stabilized thermal energy storage materials. The thermal properties of the composite phase change material and microencapsulated phase change material are analyzed and discussed. The applications of shape-stabilized thermal energy storage materials are summarized.