SBIR Phase I: Reactive Polyolefins (x-PAOs) as Advanced Organic Phase Change Materials

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目旨在通过开发一种新型的形式稳定的相变材料改性树脂，降低将节能相变材料（pcm）纳入最终用途产品的成本和复杂性，该树脂含有独特的反应性聚烯烃成分。重要的是，用于电动汽车（EV）电池被动热调节的新型pcm的开发有可能提高电动汽车的安全性、续航里程和可负担性，代表着目前价值8700万美元的潜在市场，并以每年20%的速度增长。这些优势的验证将通过提高电动汽车的性能和减少昂贵的电池更换频率，从而增加节能汽车的采用和减少温室气体排放，从而显着造福社会。该项目还可以增加节能PCM技术在其他市场的渗透，总价值为3.7亿美元，包括建筑材料、纺织品、电子产品和包装，这可以对社会产生巨大的积极经济影响。最后，SBIR一期项目目标的成功实现将进一步促进对基于有机材料的PCMs的科学/技术理解。该项目的知识价值在于验证了一种自下而上的方法来设计、生产和优化结构表征良好的反应性聚烯烃的新范式，这些反应性聚烯烃具有可调分子量和窄多分散性，与传统的石蜡基相变材料（pcm）相比，它们具有优越的性能和稳定性，可用于废热管理。为了实现这一目标，将通过优化分子结构、立体化学性、主链和侧链相变的温度和动力学来确定最适合商业化的反应性聚烯烃。反应变量也将进行优化，以在工业相关和可扩展的工艺条件下提供最高的反应性聚烯烃收率。基于反应性聚烯烃的pcm改性热固性树脂的开发将为商业废热管理应用提供途径，这些应用采用从铸造或注塑成型中获得的物理结构，并将受益于更低的生产成本，更广泛的应用范围和更大的长期稳定性。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to reduce the cost and complexity of incorporating energy-saving phase change materials (PCMs) into end-use products by developing a new class of form-stable PCM-modified resins that contain a unique reactive-polyolefin component. Importantly, the development of new PCMs for the passive thermal regulation of electric vehicle (EV) batteries has the potential to increase EV safety, range, and affordability, representing an addressable market currently valued at $87m and that is growing at 20% per year. Validation of these advantages should significantly benefit society by increasing electric vehicle performance and reducing the frequency of expensive battery replacement, thus increasing the adoption of energy efficient vehicles and reducing green-house gas emissions. This project can also result in an increase in the penetration of energy efficient PCM technology in additional markets worth a combined $370m, including building materials, textiles, electronics, and packaging, which can have a large positive economic impact on society. Finally, successful realization of the goals of this SBIR Phase I program will further enable scientific / technological understanding of PCMs that are based on organic materials.The intellectual merit of this project is the validation of a new paradigm for a bottoms-up approach to the design, production, and optimization of structurally-well-characterized reactive polyolefins of tunable molecular weight and narrow polydispersity that possess superior performance and stability characteristics as organic phase change materials (PCMs) for waste heat management as compared to conventional paraffin-based PCMs that have remained virtually unchanged for the past half century. To achieve this goal, reactive polyolefins that are the best candidates for commercialization will be identified through optimization of molecular structure, stereochemical tacticity, and the temperature and kinetics of main-chain and side-chain phase transitions. Reaction variables will also be optimized to provide the highest yields of reactive polyolefins under industrially-relevant and scalable process conditions. The development of PCM-modified thermoset resins based on reactive polyolefins will provide access to commercial waste heat management applications that employ physical constructs obtained from casting or injection molding and should benefit from lower production costs, a wider range of applications, and greater long-term stability.