(362d) Flame-Retardancy and Thermal Properties of a Novel Phosphorus Modified PCM for Thermal Energy Storage

The organic phase change materials are flammable, which limit their applications in heat storage and conversion. In the presented study, a phosphorous-grafted hexadecanol was blended with PEPA to prepare flame-retardant phase change materials (FRPCM). The thermal properties of FRPCM were evaluated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), cone calorimeter and scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests. The TGA revealed that grafted phosphorous group helps to promote char formation and improve decomposition temperature. The DSC results showed that FRPCM maintained a promising heat storage capacity (186.9 J/g) and thermal stability after grafting and blending. The cone calorimeter test demonstrated that the peak heat release rate and total heat release were further decreased by more than 50%, owing to the synergistic effect from phosphorous group and PEPA. The SEM results showed that porous structure was formed during combustion. The flame retardance mechanism was also discussed.