Smart composite nanofiber mats with thermal management functionality

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Nanofibers with thermal management capabilities are crucial for energy storage, insulation, and thermal comfort.
• Electrospinning is a key technique for creating ultrafine fibers from various polymers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To produce polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers incorporating phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal management.
• To investigate the tunability of thermoregulation by incorporating PCMs with varying phase transition temperatures.

Main Methods:

• Electrospinning of PAN solutions with paraffinic PCMs.
• Characterization of morphology, chemical structure, thermal properties, stability, thermal degradation, and hydrophobicity.
• Simultaneous addition of PCMs with different melting points to tune thermoregulation.

Main Results:

• Uniform PAN-PCM composite nanofibers with thermal management functionality were successfully produced.
• Up to 50 wt% PCM incorporation yielded significant enthalpy storage (58.74 J/g) and release (57.41 J/g).
• The composite nanofibers demonstrated excellent stability through multiple cycles and imparted hydrophobicity.

Conclusions:

• Simultaneous addition of PCMs with different melting points allows for tunable thermoregulation over a wider temperature range.
• The developed PAN-PCM nanofibers exhibit promising thermal management capabilities and stability.
• The incorporation of PCMs enhances the hydrophobicity of the nanofibers.