Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 11, 2025
10:16
Electroactive Polymer Nanoparticles Exhibiting Photothermal Properties
Published on: January 8, 2016
14.1K
Silver/Polypyrrole-Functionalized Polyurethane Foam Embedded Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Harvesting
Dongli Fan1,2, Yuan Meng2, Yuzhuo Jiang2
1School of Materials Science & Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China.
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 27, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed advanced form-stable phase change materials (FSPCMs) for efficient solar energy conversion and storage. These FSPCMs demonstrate high energy conversion efficiency and storage density, offering a promising solution for solar energy utilization.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Solar energy conversion and storage are crucial for addressing energy challenges.
- Developing stable and efficient phase change materials (PCMs) for solar thermal applications is essential.
- Existing methods for fabricating form-stable PCMs (FSPCMs) face challenges in achieving simultaneous energy conversion and storage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a facile method for fabricating high-performance FSPCMs for solar thermal energy conversion and storage.
- To investigate the solar-thermal energy conversion efficiency, storage density, and stability of the developed FSPCMs.
- To evaluate the potential of the FSPCMs for practical solar energy utilization technologies.
Main Methods:
- Utilized paraffin (PW) as the energy storage medium.
- Employed silver/polypyrrole-functionalized polyurethane (PU) foam as a supporting matrix and energy conversion platform.
- Investigated the structural, thermal, and solar-thermal conversion properties of the fabricated FSPCMs.
- Performed accelerated cycling tests to assess durability and reversibility.
Main Results:
- Achieved a high solar-thermal energy conversion efficiency of 93.7%.
- The FSPCMs exhibited a high thermal energy storage density of 187.4 J/g.
- Demonstrated excellent leak-proof properties and superior cycling durability over 200 cycles.
- Confirmed reversible solar-thermal energy conversion ability.
Conclusions:
- The developed FSPCMs effectively restrain paraffin fluidity and provide efficient solar-thermal energy conversion and storage.
- The material shows significant potential for enhancing solar energy utilization technologies due to its high performance and durability.
- This work presents a promising approach for the fabrication of advanced FSPCMs for practical applications.
