Nanotemplate Fabrication of PEG-Containing Thermosetting Polyurethane Nanoarray toward Enhanced Thermal Storage AITranslate

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DOI：https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.9b00627

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A series of solid–solid phase-change material (SSPCM) of thermosetting polyurethane (TPU) nanoarrays were successfully fabricated by in situ polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-containing macromonomers in nanoporous alumina (anodized aluminum oxide, AAO) templates. Here, the PEG segment was designed as the phase-change functional domain, and the macromonomer of polyurethane acrylate acted as the reliable supporting matrix. The diameter of the obtained TPU nanoarrays ranged from 80 to 200 nm, which is consistent with the size of the utilized AAO nanotemplates. Both the molecular length of PEG segment in the designed macromonomer and the diameter of the nanotemplate can be used to manipulate the thermal storage capability of the TPU nanoarray. The PEG blocks could be partly oriented by the nanoconfinement of AAO nanotemplates during the in situ polymerization, leading to a higher melting point and an enhanced heat storage capacity compared with the TPU bulk. The smaller the size of the used AAO nanotemplates, the better enhancement of the heat storage capacity of the TPU nanoarrays. The TPU nanoarrays also showed excellent thermal storage stability and reliability upon the solid–solid phase change, and their morphologies were stable even above the melting temperature of PEG because of the unique thermosetting feature. Thus, the fabricated TPU nanoarrays can be used as advanced nanofunctional devices in heat-energy storage and temperature-control systems.