Citation: Liwei Yang, Pengfei Chen, Jianguo Duan, Huitao Yu, Jianguo Cheng, Qing Ma. Multi-component synergistic enhancement of 3D graphene aerogels for high-performance photothermal composite phase change materials[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(12): 113201. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2026.113201 shu

Multi-component synergistic enhancement of 3D graphene aerogels for high-performance photothermal composite phase change materials

Liwei Yang ^a ,
Pengfei Chen ^c ,
Jianguo Duan ^{a, *,} ,
Huitao Yu ^b ,
Jianguo Cheng ^a ,
Qing Ma ^a

a.
School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Science & Technology, Baotou 014010, China
b.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Science & Technology, Baotou 014010, China
c.
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China

jianguo_duan@foxmail.com

Received Date: 1 May 2026
Revised Date: 6 July 2026
Accepted Date: 8 July 2026
Available Online: 9 July 2026

Figures(7)

Phase change materials (PCMs) exhibit great application potential in solar-thermal energy storage and thermal management. However, pure block-shaped phase change materials have shortcomings such as low thermal conductivity, easy phase change leakage, and poor photothermal conversion efficiency. To address these issues, this work uses the synergistic assembly of intermolecular forces and multi-component hierarchical pore interconnection networks to prepare composite phase change materials (CPCMs) that combines high storage density, high photothermal capacity, and leak-proof performance. One-dimensional (1D) copper nanowires (CuNWs) act as thermally conductive bridges and assemble with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to form continuous heat transfer networks. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) interfacial anchoring effect is utilized to achieve synergistic enhancement of photothermal conversion and heat transfer in the multi-component composite matrix. Meanwhile, the hierarchical pore structure strengthens capillary confinement, thereby effectively suppressing PCMs leakage at high temperatures. The optimal sample GCOFCu_1.5 achieves a photothermal conversion efficiency of 89% under 1.2 suns illumination, with a thermal conductivity of 0.87 W m^-1 K^-1 (an increase of 335% compared with pure paraffin). After 100 heating-cooling cycles, the photothermal conversion efficiency remains at 85.44%. The leakage rate is controlled below 3.96% after 20 cold-hot cycles at 75 °C. The phase change enthalpy is stable and the thermal reliability is excellent. This research further uses the finite element method to simulate the temperature field and phase change evolution under the multi-component microstructure, providing a novel insight into the structural design and application of graphene-based high-performance solar thermal energy storage and thermal management materials.
- Composite phase change materials,
- Multi-component synergistic enhancement,
- Photothermal conversion,
- Thermal stability,
- Thermal energy storage
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沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142