Phase-Change and Latent-Heat Materials in Printed Photopolymer Structures: Containment, Cycling and Thermal Management

Photocurable matrices can embed phase-change materials (PCMs) or microencapsulated PCMs to create printed structures that absorb and release latent heat near a selected transition temperature. Direct studies have demonstrated stereolithography and vat- photopolymerised PCM/resin composites, but the usable engineering state is not defined by latent heat alone. Increasing PCM fraction changes viscosity, optical attenuation, porosity, mechanical integrity, thermal conductivity and leakage risk; capsule damage or matrix cracking can progressively alter containment; and phase-change enthalpy may drift with repeated cycling. This review develops a qualification framework that separates thermal-storage capacity from containment, heat-transfer rate, structural function and printability. It requires differential-scanning-calorimetry or equivalent phase-change measurements to be linked to specimen mass fraction and thermal history, while leakage, dimensional stability and mechanical performance are evaluated through repeated cycles and application-representative gradients. The central conclusion is that a printed PCM structure is a coupled composite heat- storage system. A high initial enthalpy does not establish useful thermal management unless the phase-change material remains contained, accessible to heat flow and mechanically stable for the intended number of cycles.

ER-270 · Version 0.4.