Preparation and properties of polyacrylonitrile/polyethylene glycol composite fibers phase change materials by centrifugal spinning

Abstract

Shape-stabilized phase change materials (ss-PCMs) have been extensively investigated by many researchers. However, poor form stability of organic PCMs, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), is still severe. In this study, PAN/PEG composite fibers based on PEG as PCMs and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as supporting material were successfully prepared by the centrifugal spinning technique. A combination of different parameters including concentrations of PAN, rotational speed and mass ratios of PAN/PEG are investigated to optimize the spinning technique of PAN/PEG composite fibers. The fibrous morphology of the obtained composite fibers was smooth and cylindrical as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analyses were used to confirm that there was no chemical interaction occurred in the composite PCMs. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) results show that PAN/PEG composite fibers have suitable phase change temperature but low latent heat. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) results show that PAN/PEG composite fibers exhibited excellent thermal stability. Based on the above tests and analysis, it could be confirmed that the PAN/PEG composite fibers exhibited good thermal properties and may have application prospects in mass production.