Preparation and characterization of pentaerythritol/butane tetracarboxylic acid/polyethylene glycol crosslinking copolymers as solid-solid phase change materials

Pentaerythritol/butane tetracarboxylic acid/polyethylene glycol (PBPEG) crosslinking copolymers as a novel solid-solid phase change material (SSPCM) were successfully synthesized through the reaction mechanism and conditions of hydroxyl-carboxyl condensation reaction. The composition and chemical structure, crystalline properties, phase change behaviors, thermal reliability and chemical stability of PBPEG crosslinking copolymers were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), polarization optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetry (TGA), respectively. The results show that PBPEG crosslinking copolymers have typical solid-solid phase transition temperatures in the range of 10.31～53.27°C and high latent heat enthalpy in the range of 89.6～102.8 J/g, the synthesized SSPCMs have good thermal reliability and chemical stability after 300 thermal cycles, and PBPEG crosslinking copolymers have good thermal stability before 364°C. In summary, the synthesized PBPEG crosslinking copolymers could be potentially used for thermal energy storage.