Sustainable, super-stable thermochromic material by coupling hydroxypropyl cellulose and sodium carboxymethyl
Pengyu Pan1, Yuanyuan Liu2, Zhishuang Zhu2
1State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
Abstract:
Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) is a green thermochromic material in energy-saving buildings, anti-counterfeiting, and data security fields. However, the high lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of HPC, around 42 °C (higher than the human thermal comfort temperature), limits its thermochromic sensitivity, poor stability, and short lifespan. Herein, we developed a durable, high-performance cellulose-based thermochromic composite with a lower LCST and easy preparation capability by combining HPC with sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). In such thermochromic cellulose, CMC constructs a hydrophilic skeleton to enable uniform dispersion of HPC, and functions as a stronger competitor to attract the water molecules compared to HPC, both of which trigger high thermochromic sensitivity and low LCST (just 32.5 °C) of our CMC/HPC. In addition, CMC/HPC shows superior stability, such as 100-day working capability and 60-time recyclability. This advancement marks a significant step forward in creating sustainable, efficient thermochromic materials, offering new opportunities for energy conservation in the building.
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