A renewable thermochromic phase change material encapsulated within a wood-based cellulose/sodium methylsilicate...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy Materials
• Smart Materials

Background:

• Thermochromic phase change materials (TCs) offer temperature-responsive heat storage but often lack renewability.
• Developing renewable TCs (RTCs) is crucial for sustainable thermal energy applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a renewable thermochromic phase change material (RTC).
• To encapsulate the RTC within a wood-based cellulose/sodium methylsilicate framework, creating a thermochromic wood composite-smart material (TWC-SM).
• To investigate the thermochromic properties, phase change behavior, and thermal performance of the TWC-SM.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of RTC using alizarin, myristyl myristate, and 1-hexadecanol.
• Encapsulation of RTC within a wood-based cellulose/sodium methylsilicate framework to form TWC-SM.
• Characterization of TWC-SM's thermochromic behavior (color shifts) and phase change properties (enthalpy).
• Evaluation of TWC-SM's thermal performance by comparing its temperature increase to untreated wood.

Main Results:

• The synthesized RTC exhibited a color shift from orange to orange-red during phase transitions.
• The TWC-SM displayed a distinct thermochromic mechanism with color shifts from greyish-purple below 52°C to deep-purple above 70°C, attributed to changes in the alizarin structure.
• The RTC demonstrated a solid-liquid phase-changing enthalpy of 186.78 J/g.
• TWC-SM maintained shape stability and showed an average temperature increase of at least 5.56°C higher than untreated wood over 60 minutes.

Conclusions:

• The developed TWC-SM possesses significant thermochromic properties and enhanced heat storage capabilities.
• The wood-based framework effectively stabilizes the RTC and imparts superior thermal performance.
• This study highlights the potential of TWC-SM for practical applications in renewable, temperature-responsive heat storage materials.