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Harvesting Solar Energy by Means of Charge-Separating Nanocrystals and Their Solids
Published on: August 23, 2012
Enhancing solar photothermal conversion and energy storage with titanium carbide (Ti3C2) MXene nanosheets in
Kuan Zhao1, Zhixiong Guo2, Jifen Wang1
1School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Shanghai Polytechnic University, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Advanced Thermal Functional Materials, No.2360 Jinhai Rd., Shanghai 201209, China.
Abstract:
We propose to enhance photothermal conversion via doping titanium carbide (Ti3C2) MXene nanosheets on the surfaces of phase-change microcapsules consisted of the n-Octadecane core and styrene divinylbenzene copolymer shell. Detected by scanning electron microscopy, the microcapsules showed a usually circular form with an appropriate dispersion. The thermal properties of the microcapsules were characterized using the differential scanning calorimetry and thermal conductivity instruments, realizing an excellent phase-change enthalpy of around 140 J/g, high encapsulation ratio of over 64 %, good heat transfer of 0.294 ± 0.003 W/(m·K), and great thermal reliability. More importantly, the microcapsules doped with Ti3C2 MXene nanosheets reach a solar-to-heat conversion efficiency of 85 ± 7 %, a substantial enhancement by 240 % in comparison with non-doping sample. The Ti3C2 MXene-doped microcapsules with excellent heat storage and solar-to-heat conversion capabilities offer great potential for high-efficiency solar energy utilization and can be applied to thermal energy storage systems and direct absorption solar collectors.
