This study was designed to investigate the recent movement and current stage of

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7Thermal evaluation of non-deform laminated composite phase change material (PCM)

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Mowing can facilitate the incorporation of cover crop shoots into soil and improve the properties of soils in apple orchards. This article evaluated how apple orchard soil responds to the decomposition of the shoot residues of three cover crops[native mixed herbs (NMS), red clover (RCS), and ryegrass (RES)] in terms of microbial metabolism and biomass, and discussed the relationships between microbial responses and shoot chemistry. The chemical composition of shoots was analysed and a buried bag experiment was carried out to simulate shoot decomposition in an apple orchard. The results revealed significant differences in the chemical compositions and shoot C:N ratios (NMS: 10.9, RCS: 19.1, and RES: 12.9) of the three cover crops. The decomposition of the cover crop shoots promoted microbial metabolism and boosted soil bacterial reproduction (increase in the biomass indicator muramic acid: 19.44, 124.15, and 14.83 mg kg−1, respectively. But there are different types of effects on soil fungal reproduction (change in the biomass indicator glucosamine: 712.51, 887.45, and 103.97 mg kg−1), and they are obviously negative, significantly positive, and non-significant respectively. Thus, the native mixed herbs and red clover are preferable swards for better shoot enhancement in apple orchard.

Previous research has demonstred that microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCMs) could significantly increase the energy storage density of solar thermal energy storage (TES) systems. Compared with traditional phase change materials (PCMs), MEPCMs have many advantages since they can limit their exposure to the surrounding environment, enlarge the heat transfer area, and maintain the volume as the phase change occurs. In this study, a new MEPCM for solar TES systems is developed by encapsulation of paraffin wax with poly (urea formaldehyde) (PUF). The experimental results revealed that agglomeration of MEPCM particles occurred during the encapsulation process which affected the uniformity of the particle size distribution profile when sodium dodecyl sulfate was used as an emulsifier. The differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis results showed that the melting temperatures were slightly increased by 0.14–0.72 °C after encapsulation. A thermogravimetric (TG) test showed that the sample weight decreased while the weight loss starting temperature was slightly increased after encapsulation. Overall, the sample UF-2, fabricated with the binary emulsifiers of Brij 35 and Brij 30 and 5% nucleating agent, resulted in good particle dispersion and shell integrity, higher core material content and encapsulation efficiency, as well as improved thermal stability.