Multifunctional
composite phase-change materials (CPCMs) with dual
photo/electrothermal triggers have great potential for sustainable
energy utilization. Photo/electric-triggered CPCMs are usually prepared
by compounding graphene or carbon nanotubes with phase-change materials
(PCMs). However, the practical applications of such materials are
limited by the complexity and cost of common preparation methods for
the supporting materials. Herein, a template method is developed to
prepare graphite foams (GFs) using easily available graphite powder
extracted from spent lithium-ion batteries. Paraffin wax (PW) is subsequently
incorporated into the GFs as a PCM to synthesize GF-PW CPCMs with
superior photo/electrothermal conversion capacity. The prepared GF-PW
CPCMs exhibit high latent enthalpy (173.9 to 209.2 J/g) and excellent
shape and thermal stability and cycling ability. The inherent high
thermal/electrical conductivity and excellent solar light absorption
capacity of the GFs fabricated from graphite powder confer the GF-PW
CPCMs with excellent photo/electrothermal conversion performance.
In addition, the 1:4 GF-PW CPCMs exhibit the highest thermal conductivity
of 1.38 W/(m K), which is up to 4.11 times higher than that of pure
PW. This work not only opens up a pathway for the utilization of graphite
powder extracted from spent lithium-ion batteries, but also provides
a facile low-cost method for preparing CPCMs with potential applications
in photo/electrothermal energy storage and conversion.
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