Leakage Proof, Flame-Retardant, and Electromagnetic Shield Wood Morphology Genetic Composite Phase Change Materials for Solar Thermal Energy Harvesting

Yuhui Chen; Yang Meng; Jiangyu Zhang; Yuhui Xie; Hua Guo; Mukun He; Xuetao Shi; Yi Mei; Xinxin Sheng; Delong Xie

doi:10.1007/s40820-024-01414-4

Leakage Proof, Flame-Retardant, and Electromagnetic Shield Wood Morphology Genetic Composite Phase Change Materials for Solar Thermal Energy Harvesting

Nanomicro Lett. 2024 May 16;16(1):196. doi: 10.1007/s40820-024-01414-4.

Authors

Yuhui Chen¹, Yang Meng², Jiangyu Zhang¹, Yuhui Xie¹, Hua Guo³, Mukun He³, Xuetao Shi³, Yi Mei¹, Xinxin Sheng⁴, Delong Xie⁵

Affiliations

¹ Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Energy Saving in Phosphorus Chemical Engineering and New Phosphorus Materials, The International Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Polymers of Yunnan Province, The Higher Educational Key Laboratory for Phosphorus Chemical Engineering of Yunnan Province, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, People's Republic of China.
² Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Energy Saving in Phosphorus Chemical Engineering and New Phosphorus Materials, The International Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Polymers of Yunnan Province, The Higher Educational Key Laboratory for Phosphorus Chemical Engineering of Yunnan Province, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, People's Republic of China. mengyang@kust.edu.cn.
³ Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science and Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710072, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Soft Condensed Matter, School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China. xinxin.sheng@gdut.edu.cn.
⁵ Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Energy Saving in Phosphorus Chemical Engineering and New Phosphorus Materials, The International Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Polymers of Yunnan Province, The Higher Educational Key Laboratory for Phosphorus Chemical Engineering of Yunnan Province, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, People's Republic of China. cedlxie@kust.edu.cn.

Abstract

Phase change materials (PCMs) offer a promising solution to address the challenges posed by intermittency and fluctuations in solar thermal utilization. However, for organic solid-liquid PCMs, issues such as leakage, low thermal conductivity, lack of efficient solar-thermal media, and flammability have constrained their broad applications. Herein, we present an innovative class of versatile composite phase change materials (CPCMs) developed through a facile and environmentally friendly synthesis approach, leveraging the inherent anisotropy and unidirectional porosity of wood aerogel (nanowood) to support polyethylene glycol (PEG). The wood modification process involves the incorporation of phytic acid (PA) and MXene hybrid structure through an evaporation-induced assembly method, which could impart non-leaking PEG filling while concurrently facilitating thermal conduction, light absorption, and flame-retardant. Consequently, the as-prepared wood-based CPCMs showcase enhanced thermal conductivity (0.82 W m^-1 K^-1, about 4.6 times than PEG) as well as high latent heat of 135.5 kJ kg^-1 (91.5% encapsulation) with thermal durability and stability throughout at least 200 heating and cooling cycles, featuring dramatic solar-thermal conversion efficiency up to 98.58%. In addition, with the synergistic effect of phytic acid and MXene, the flame-retardant performance of the CPCMs has been significantly enhanced, showing a self-extinguishing behavior. Moreover, the excellent electromagnetic shielding of 44.45 dB was endowed to the CPCMs, relieving contemporary health hazards associated with electromagnetic waves. Overall, we capitalize on the exquisite wood cell structure with unidirectional transport inherent in the development of multifunctional CPCMs, showcasing the operational principle through a proof-of-concept prototype system.

Keywords: Electromagnetic shielding; Flame-retardant; MXene; Solar thermal storage and conversion; Wood PCMs.