A brief review on nano phase change material-based polymer encapsulation for thermal energy storage systems

In recent years, considerable attention has been given to phase change materials (PCMs) that is suggested as a possible medium for thermal energy storage. PCM encapsulation technology is an efficient method of enhancing thermal conductivity and solving problems of corrosion and leakage during a charging process. Moreover, nanoencapsulation of phase change materials with polymer has several benefits as a thermal energy storage media, such as small-scale, high heat transfer efficiency and large specific surface area. However, the lower thermal conductivity (TC) of PCMs hinders the thermal efficiency of the polymer based nano-capsules. This review covers the effect of polymer encapsulation on PCMs while concentrating on providing solutions related to improving the thermal efficiency of system.