Excellent Temperature-Control Based on Reversible Thermochromic Materials for Light-Driven Phase Change Materials System

Caixia Ren,Bingtao Tang,Malik Muhammad Umair,Shufen Zhang,Xin Jin,Fangfang Liu

doi:10.3390/molecules24081623

Abstract

Light-driven phase change materials (PCMs) have received significant attention due to their capacity to convert visible light into thermal energy, storing it as latent heat. However, continuous photo-thermal conversion can cause the PCMs to reach high thermal equilibrium temperatures after phase transition. In our study, a novel light-driven phase change material system with temperature-control properties was constructed using a thermochromic compound. Thermochromic phase change materials (TC-PCMs) were prepared by introducing 2-anilino-6-dibutylamino-3-methylfluoran (ODB-2) and bisphenol A (BPA) into 1-hexadecanol (1-HD) in various proportions. Photo-thermal conversion performance was investigated with solar radiation (low power of 0.09 W/cm2) and a xenon lamp (at a high power of 0.14 W/cm2). The TC-PCMs showed a low equilibrium temperature due to variations in absorbance. Specifically, the temperature of TC-PCM180 (ODB-2, bisphenol A and 1-HD ratio 1:2:180) could stabilize at 54 °C approximately. TC-PCMs exhibited reversibility and repeatability after 20 irradiation and cooling cycles.

Highlights

As a fossil fuel substitute, solar energy is a renewable and clean alternative energy resource [1,2].Solar energy utilization—including thermal utilization, photovoltaic conversion and photo-thermal conversion technology—has increasingly advanced [3,4,5,6,7]
Continuous photo-thermal conversion can lead to high thermal equilibrium temperatures of phase change materials (PCMs) after phase transition [15,16,17]
The characteristic peak of COO− at 1607 cm−1 attributed to the addition of thermochromic compound [31], appeared in all Thermochromic phase change materials (TC-PCMs)’ curves

Summary

Introduction

As a fossil fuel substitute, solar energy is a renewable and clean alternative energy resource [1,2].Solar energy utilization—including thermal utilization, photovoltaic conversion and photo-thermal conversion technology—has increasingly advanced [3,4,5,6,7]. Thermal utilization of solar energy suffers from inferior direct heat usage factors due to inefficient utilization of visible light, which accounts for 44% of solar radiation [8,9]. To solve this problem, investigators have introduced light harvesting materials (such as dye, carbon materials and metal, etc.) into phase change material systems to obtain high photo-thermal conversion and energy storage efficiency [10,11,12,13,14]. This critical issue can have certain implications on the application of PCM systems based on photo-thermal conversion materials in some fields

Methods

Results

Conclusion