Preparation of Nanocapsules Containing Phase Change Materials by Miniemulsion Polymerization

Polystyrene nanocapsules containing octadecane as a core material were prepared by miniemulsion polymerization. The morphology and size of the nanocapsules were measured with varying the surfactant concentration, content of initiator, core/shell ratio and content of comonomer. The morphologies of the prepared nanoparticles were examined by a scanning electron microscope, a transmission electron microscope and the core material was confirmed by a differential scanning calorimeter. The particles below 70 nm in diameter were formed at a high surfactant concentration. The size of the nanoparticles was not significantly affected by the initiator content. With increasing the core/shell ratio and polar comonomer content, the particle size and its distribution were increased.