Conversion of solar energy into thermal energy stored in phase change materials (PCMs) can effectively relieve the energy dilemma and improve energy utilization efficiency. However, facile fabrication of form-stable PCMs (FSPCMs) to achieve simultaneously energetic solar-thermal, conversion and storage remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we report a desirable solar-thermal energy conversion and storage system that utilizes paraffin (PW) as energy-storage units, the silver/polypyrrole-functionalized polyurethane (PU) foam as the cage and energy conversion platform to restrain the fluidity of the melting paraffin and achieve high solar-thermal energy conversion efficiency (93.7%) simultaneously. The obtained FSPCMs possess high thermal energy storage density (187.4 J/g) and an excellent leak-proof property. In addition, 200 accelerated solar-thermal energy conversion-cycling tests demonstrated that the resultant FSPCMs had excellent cycling durability and reversible solar-thermal energy conversion ability, which offered a potential possibility in the field of solar energy utilization technology.
Keywords: phase change materials; silver/polypyrrole-functionalized polyurethane foam; solar–thermal energy conversion.