Sustainable Porous Scaffolds with Retained Lignin as An Effective Light-absorbing Material for Efficient Photothermal...

Organic phase change materials (PCMs) are promising to utilize thermal energy from solar radiation for photothermal energy conversion. However, the issues of poor photo absorption and liquid leakage greatly restrict their practical application. Herein, a sustainable porous scaffold comprising periodate oxidized wood (POW) as the supporting material and in situ retains lignin as the light-absorber dopant are demonstrated. The π-π stacking ability of lignin molecules endows the retained lignin with efficient photonic energy harvesting characteristics for fast thermal conductivity to reach a higher maximal energy storage volume. The inherently porous structure of the POW scaffold enables excellent shape-stability, which bypasses the liquid leakage problem. The resulting POW/PCM composites exhibit superior comprehensive performance, including enhanced light absorption capacity, high photothermal conversion efficiency (≈86.7%), and high latent heat of 151 J g^-1 . Furthermore, the POW/PCM composites also possess the ability to maintain a relatively constant indoor temperature when fixed atop the model house roof, showing great potential for their practical applications in the thermal regulation of intelligent buildings. This work not only paves a new way to obtain sustainable and effective porous scaffolds for sufficient photothermal energy conversion but also provides more possibilities for their practical application in the future.