Production of Melamine-Formaldehyde PCM Microcapsules with Ammonia Scavenger used for Residual Formaldehyde Reduction

Paraffinic phase change materials (PCM) were microencapsulated by in situ polymerization of melamineformaldehyde prepolymers. Partly methylated trimethylolmelamine was used as an aminoaldehyde prepolymer for the microcapsule wall, a styrene-maleic acid anhydride copolymer as an emulsifier and modifying agent, and ammonia as a scavenger for reducing residual formaldehyde. For the determination of residual formaldehyde in a ppm concentration range, EDANA and malachite green analytical methods were studied, and the EDANA 210.1-99 was applied for the determination of residual formaldehyde in 25 samples of microcapsules, produced in a 200-L reactor. A linear correlation was observed between the added ammonia scavenger concentration and the reduction of residual formaldehyde concentration. Compared with 0.45% (4500 ppm) formaldehyde in a non-treated microcapsule suspension, with ammonia scavenger concentrations 0.80, 0.90 and 1.35%, the concentration of residual formaldehyde dropped to 0.27, 0.20 and 0.09% (i.e. 2700, 2000 and 900 ppm), respectively. Morphological characterisation of microcapsules by SEM and microcapsule wall permeability measurements by gravimetry / mass loss at an elevated temperature (135 °C) suggested that ammonia positively contributed to the wall elasticity / durability, while microcapsules with no ammonia scavenger added tended to have more brittle walls, and were more prone to cracking.