Preparation and properties of lauric acid-stearic acid/expanded perlite composite as phase change materials for thermal energy storage

The binary eutectic of lauric acid-stearic acid (LA-SA)/expanded perlite (EP) composite phase change materials (PCMs) were prepared by vacuum impregnation. The structure and properties of the composite PCMs were characterized by FT-IR. SEM and DSC analysis. The results show that the binary eutectic of fatty acids have been composed with the porous skeleton expanded perlite completely in a physical method, the melting temperature of the composite PCMs is about 33.0 degrees C and latent heat is 131.3 J/g, and they have good thermal stability. The composite PCMs present good potential applications for thermal energy storage and conservation in buildings mainly due to their high latent heat and a suitable melting temperature. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.