Fabrication and Properties of Poly(Diethylene Glycol N-alkyl Ether Vinyl Ethers) as a Phase Change Material

Abstract

Diethylene glycol n-alkyl ether vinyl ethers (CmE2VEs) (m=14,16,18) were synthesized using diethylene glycolmonovinylether (E2VE) and brominated alkanes as raw materials. Furthermore, they were cationic polymerized to form a comb-like polymeric phase change material-poly(diethylene glycol n-alkyl ether vinyl ethers) (PCmE2VE). The structure, composition, molecular weight, phase transition behavior, thermal stability and crystallization behavior of PCmE2VE were investigated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Both the melting and crystallizing enthalpy of (PCmE2VE) are more than 90 J/g; and the measured thermal decomposition temperatures (5% mass loss) of PC14E2VE, PC16E2VE, and PC18E2VE were 259 ºC, 307 ºC and 315 ºC, respectively. It increased rapidly with increasing the number of carbon atoms in the side chain.