Shape-stabilized phase change material with enhanced thermal conductivity fabricated based on biomimetic polymerization and in situ reduction of Cu ions

The thermal conductivity of shape-stabilized phase change material of polyethylene glycols/porous carbon microspheresdoping withcopper particles (PEG/CARM-Cu) was enhanced based on the adsorption and in situ reduction of Cu(2+)using polydopamine microsphere (PDAM)material as the adsorbent. The synthesis of PDAM has the merits of simplicity and environmental friendliness, and the in situ reduction of Cu(2+)through pyrolysis has the advantages of easy operation and cost effectiveness. Copper particles prepared by in situ reduction were tightly fixed on the surface of the support ofporous carbon microsphere (CARM), which avoided the sedimentation of copper particles during the phase change process of PEG/CARM-Cu. According to the SEM, TEM, XRD, TGA and DSC test results, PEG/CARM-Cu possessed favorable thermal reliability and stability, and the phase change enthalpy of PEG/CARM-Cu-2 could reach 101.50 J/g. Additionally, the thermal conductivity of PEG/CARM-Cu-2 (0.497 W/(m center dot K)) was enhanced by 93.3% compared to that ofpure PEG (0.257 W/(m center dot K)). Therefore, the PEG/CARM-Cu developed in this paper possessed great potential for real applications.