Zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 for shape stabilization and enhanced thermal stability of paraffin-based phase change materials.

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67), a new kind of metal-organic framework, has large surface area as well as outstanding thermal and chemical stability. In this paper, micro-sized ZIF-67 crystals were prepared and further employed as the reinforcing material to design novel paraffin-based composite phase change materials (PCMs) with a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) shell. The composite PCMs were fabricated by using a ZIF-67 crystal-stabilized oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsion as a template.