Multishell Copper Oxide Hollow Spheres Incorporated with Fatty Amines for High Light-To-Thermal Conversion

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Energy Storage
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Composite phase change materials (PCMs) are crucial for efficient energy storage and conversion.
• Developing PCMs with enhanced thermal properties and stability is an ongoing research area.
• Metal oxide hollow microspheres offer unique structural advantages for composite material development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a novel composite phase change material (CuOHS@PCMs) for energy storage and conversion.
• To investigate the thermal properties, stability, and photothermal conversion efficiency of the developed composite PCMs.
• To explore the potential of CuOHS@PCMs in solar energy harvesting and storage applications.

Main Methods:

• Hydrothermal synthesis of multishell metal oxide hollow microspheres (CuOHS).
• Loading fatty amines (tetradecylamine, hexadecylamine, octadecylamine) into CuOHS micropores to create CuOHS@PCMs.
• Characterization of thermal properties, latent heat, and cycling stability.
• Evaluation of photothermal conversion efficiency under illumination.

Main Results:

• Successfully prepared CuOHS@PCMs with fatty amines (TDA, HDA, ODA).
• Achieved high latent heats of 198.8 J·g⁻¹, 192.6 J·g⁻¹, and 196.0 J·g⁻¹ for CuOHS@TDA, CuOHS@HDA, and CuOHS@ODA, respectively.
• Demonstrated excellent thermal stability over 100 cycles and high photothermal conversion efficiencies (84.0%, 81.4%, 78.0%).

Conclusions:

• CuOHS@PCMs exhibit superior light absorption and leak prevention properties.
• The developed composite PCMs show significant potential for solar energy harvesting, storage, and photothermal conversion.
• This research offers a promising pathway for advanced energy storage solutions.