Lightweight, strong, and form-stable cellulose nanofibrils phase change aerogel with high latent heat

Phase change material (PCM) is promising for energy storage and release. However, the deformation and leaking during phase change generally limit its application. Herein, a lightweight, strong, and form-stable PCM aerogel was fabricated using Pickering emulsion templating technique. Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) were used to stabilize PCM into Pickering emulsion, which was further integrated into a 3D interconnected CNF network forming CNF/PCM composite aerogel. The composite aerogel is strong that can support over 5000 times of its own weight, and demonstrates exceptional form stability at 80 °C, showing no leakage after 20 heating/cooling cycles. The latent heat of CNF/PCM composite aerogel could reach 173.59 J·g-1, approximately 84.4% of the paraffin. The CNF/PCM composite aerogel showed relatively low thermal conductivity of 32.0-37.7 mW·m-1·K-1. The sustainability and impressive thermal regulating properties of the CNF/PCM composite aerogel make it an ideal candidate for applications in smart textile, smart building, batteries, and electronic devices.