MoS2-decorated carbonized melamine foam/reduced graphene oxide network for constructing polyethylene-glycol-based multifunctional phase change materials toward multiple energy harvesting and microwave absorbing applications

Abstract

The limited functions of traditional phase change materials (PCMs), such as thermal energy storage and temperature regulation, cannot fully satisfy the diversified requirements of various fields. Therefore, the development of multifunctional PCMs (MPCMs) is gradually gaining significant research attention. Herein, a functional MoS2-decorated carbonized melamine foam (CMF)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) network (CMF/rGO/MoS2) is designed for developing MPCMs, in which CMF acts as a template, while rGO and MoS2 serve as functional fillers. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is introduced into the network as a PCM using a vacuum‐assisted impregnation method. The obtained PEG@CMF/rGO/MoS2 composite has a high PEG content of 92.1 wt%, which contributes to its high melting and crystallization enthalpies of 169.3 and 165.9 J g−1, respectively. Simultaneously, the hybrid of rGO and MoS2 possesses good photon harvesting ability and electrically conductive properties, and endows the composite with light-to-thermal and electric-to-thermal energy conversion functions. Moreover, the synergistic effect of the three-dimensional porous structure and high dielectric loss capability of CMF/rGO/MoS2 render the composite a microwave absorbing material. As a result, the minimum reflection loss and maximum efficient bandwidth of PEG@CMF/rGO/MoS2 are −32.49 dB and 6.16 GHz at a thicknesses of 2.1 and 2.4 mm, respectively. Hence, our study provides an efficient strategy for developing MPCMs adaptable to different application requirements.