Highly thermal conductive phase change materials enabled by CNTs-modified PVA aerogel for solar energy storage and thermal management of electronic components

Phase change materials (PCM) hold significant promise for applications in thermal management of electronic components and solar energy storage. However, their widespread application has been hindered by limited thermal conductivity and the risk of liquid leakage. In this study, we developed shape-stabilized composite PCM by encapsulating polyethylene glycol (PEG) within Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) aerogel. To enhance the performance, we incorporated different concentrations of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the PVA aerogel matrix. Our experimental results show that the PEG/PC20 composite PCM has an impressive thermal conductivity of 0.568 W/m·K. This improvement can be attributed to the efficient thermal conductivity network created by the CNTs. In addition to its remarkable structural stability, thermal reliability, and shape stability, PEG/PC20 also exhibits exceptional thermal storage capacity and photothermal conversion capability. Moreover, PEG/PC20 demonstrates outstanding temperature control in the thermal management of electronic components, significantly prolonging the time required to reach the peak temperature of an electric heater by a factor of 5. Consequently, PEG/PC20 exhibits tremendous potential for solar energy storage and the efficient thermal management of electronic components.