Organic phase change materials (PCMs) have been widely applied in thermal energy storage elds due to their good structural stability, high energy storage density, adjustable phase change temperature and nontoxic. However, the poor solar-thermal conversion performance and structure stability restrict the largescale application of organic PCMs. Herein,novel PCM composites (CMPCMs) with good structure stability, improved photothermal conversion e ciency, and superior energy storage density were successfully synthesized by impregnating poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) into cellulose nano bers/melanin hybrid aerogel. The three-dimensional (3D) aerogel framework had good shape stability and strong encapsulation ability, which inhibited the leakage of PEG and enhanced the shape stability of the synthesized PCM. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results showed that CMPCMs exhibited relatively high melting enthalpies ranging from 168.3 to 175.9 J/g, and the introduction of melanin almost unchanged the energy storage density of the synthesized PCM composites. Simulated sunlight test revealed that the introduction of melanin signi cantly improved the photothermal conversion e ciency of CMPCMs (from 47.2 to 85.9%). The thermal cycling test and thermogravimetric analysis showed that CMPCMs possessed excellent thermal stability and good encapsulation ability. In conclusion, the synthesized CMPCMs showed great potential in the practical utilization and storage of solar energy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.