Enzymolysis-treated wood-derived hierarchical porous carbon for fluorescence-functionalized phase change materials

Abstract

Dominating obstacles that currently obstruct the development and industrial application of phase change materials (PCMs) are their low thermal conductivity , high cost, easy leakage and poor mechanical performance. Our goal is to enhance the thermal conductivity and power capacity of PCMs as much as possible using abundant biomass-derived carbon as supports. Herein, cellulase is employed to efficiently hydrolyze segmental cellulose in wood to formulate luxuriant micropores , which contribute to sufficiently expose the interior of the wood to effectively construct luxuriant adsorption sites onto the carbon skeleton during the subsequent high-temperature pyrolysis process. The resulting wood-derived hierarchical porous carbon infiltrates polyethylene glycol (PEG) and sufficiently liberates crystallization via microscopic morphology regulation. The strategy assembles good mechanical performance, high energy storage capacity (151.74 J/g), anisotropic thermal conductivity and improved thermal stability. Furthermore, the composite PCMs loaded with carbon quantum dots (CQDs) integrate the dual advantages of fluorescent function and thermal energy storage , which provides the possibility for the application of enzymolysis-treated wood-supported composite PCMs in specific equipment.