The Preparation and Characterization of Chitosan–Gelatin Microcapsules and Microcomposites with Fatty Acids as Thermal Energy Storage Materials

After cellulose, chitosan is the second‐most‐abundant natural resource and can be used as shell material during microencapsulation. In this study, chitosan–gelatin (CG) microcapsules and microcomposites containing either caprylic or decanoic acid were prepared according to the complex coacervation method and cross‐linked by glutaraldehyde. To study the influence of the glutaraldehyde mass ratio upon encapsulation, as well as both the physical and thermal properties of the resulting microcapsules, the properties of microencapsulated phase‐change materials (microPCMs) were analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results show the successful synthesis of microPCMs and melting temperatures of approximately 11.5 and 24.2 °C with latent heat storage capacities of 79 and 73 J g−1 for microPCMs containing caprylic acid and those containing decanoic acid, respectively.