Enhancing the Thermal Characteristics of Shape‐Stabilized Phase Change Nanocomposite Nanofibers by Incorporation of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes within the Nanofibrous Structure

Abstract

In this study, the authors employed a good dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) within the phase change material (PCM)/polymer (polyethylene glycol/polyacrylonitrile) electrospinning solution to enhance the thermal properties of shape‐stabilized phase change nanocomposite nanofibers (SPCNNs). In this regard, nanofibers with and without MWCNTs were produced (with approximately similar diameters), and the effect of a good dispersion of MWCNTs on the thermal, physical, and mechanical properties of the nanofibrous samples was evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were utilized to observe the surface morphology and interior structures of electrospun nanofibers, respectively. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis were utilized to evaluate the degree of crystallinity (DOC) and thermal stability of the samples, respectively. The DSC results of phase change nanofibers (PCNs) and the phase change nanocomposite nanofibers (PCNNs) confirmed that the presence of MWCNTs extremely boosts the DOC of nanofibers (44.69% and 93.64% for PCNs and PCNNs, respectively), which can be attributed to the nucleation effect of MWCNTs. Moreover, the X‐ray diffraction pattern and tensile test results showed that the presence of MWCNTs can affect the average size of crystals and mechanical strength of nanofibers, respectively. Altogether, the present study demonstrates that the SPCNNs have good mechanical and thermal properties and appropriate potential for use in numerous thermal energy storage applications.

Research progress of thermoregulating textiles based on spinning of organic phase change fiber of energy storage

“…On the other hand, the spinning process is extremely susceptible to the solution conductivity and environmental factors, and potential safety hazards might be caused by the high-voltage electric field, 75 so it is indispensable to improve the technology further from laboratory to industrial preparation. 31,63,65,66,[68][69][70][71][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83] Centrifugal spinning…”

Thermoactive Smart Electrospun Nanofibers

“…The thermal properties and morphology of the fibers were well retained after 100 heating/cooling cycles, demonstrating good thermal stability and reliability. In addition to cellulose acetate, other polymers, such as PVDF, [ 223,241 ] PAN, [ 242 ] PLA, [ 243 ] PVP, [ 223 ] and PA6 [ 223,244,245 ] have been investigated as the fibrous supporting matrix for the encapsulation of PEG. In a recent paper by Yilmaz et al., [ 245 ] core–shell PCFs were fabricated by using coaxial ESP of PEG containing halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) as the core material and PA6 as fiber shell.…”

The effect of polydopamine coated multi‐walled carbon nanotube on the wettability of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) nanocomposite as a proton exchange membrane

“…In contrast, the bundled and aggregated CNTs do not exhibit any characteristic peak in this region. 41,42 Therefore, the amount of exfoliated CNTs directly relates to the intensity and peak area of characteristic peaks in UV-vis spectroscopy. Figure 2e the properties of PEM nanocomposites due to the better distribution of CNTs in the solvent.…”