An in-situ growth Fe3O4 and polyaniline on carbon cloth encapsulated composite phase change materials with high thermal conductivity and photothermal energy conversion and storage

Abstract

Phase change materials (PCMs) play a crucial role in thermal management and solar energy utilization. However, PCMs suffer from low thermal conductivity, tend to leak during the phase change process, and do not possess photothermal conversion properties, limiting their application in these fields. In this work, thermally conductive enhanced composite PCMs with photothermal conversion are fabricated by encapsulating polyethylene glycol (PEG) into Fe3O4 and polyaniline (PANI) decorated carbon cloth (CC). The prepared PEG@PFCC composite PCMs exhibited high heat storage density (132.06–137.25 J/g), significantly improved leakage-proof properties, and excellent thermal and cyclic stability. Meanwhile, the continuous double-coating of PANI and Fe3O4 not only gives the composite PCMs superb thermal conductivity (thermal conductivity of 1.61 W/m·K, 416 % higher than that of the pristine PEG), but also high photothermal conversion efficiency (91.5 %) and excellent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding (up to 38 dB), which broaden the composite PCMs' adaptability of applications. In summary, this innovative type of carbon cloth-based composite PCMs provide a creative path for the design and development of energy storage and conversion materials, which exhibit tremendous potential in the applications of electronic protection, infrared stealth, thermal management of wearable devices, and solar thermal energy utilization.