Preparation and properties of capric acid: Stearic acid/hydrophobic expanded perlite-aerogel composite phase change materials

Phase change materials (PCMs) have been applied widely in various energy savings, storage, and efficiency applications, including building and construction, building systems, aerospace, and biological engineering. In order to solve the shortcomings of poor thermal stability and easy leakage of PCMs, a strong adsorbent expanded perlite-aerogel (AEP) composite matrix was prepared and its key thermal properties and effects on PCMs examined. Particularly, when it adsorbed capric-stearic acid, a binary PCM, it reached the level of 200 %. The rate of mass loss after heating could still be less than 1.0 %, indicating that the AEP composite matrix designed here had strong material and thermal stabilities. Various mass ratios of composite components were also tested and compared, and the optimal setting for the best adsorption rate was subsequently determined in this work. Because of these excellent characteristics, this newly designed AEP composite matrix can be used as an appropriate carrier for PCMs for energy savings and efficiency purposes in the building and construction field.