Superwetting polypropylene aerogel supported form-stable phase change materials with extremely high organics loading and enhanced thermal conductivity

- The superwetting PP aerogel was prepared in an uncomplicated method.
- Paraffin can be loaded into PP aerogel with a high PCMs loading of up to 1060 wt%.
- The PP/PCMs composites show high latent heat and excellent thermal stability and recyclability.

The development of high efficient materials or devices for storage and utilization of sustainable thermal energy should be of great importance in alleviating energy crisis. Herein, we reported the fabrication of superwetting polypropylene (PP) aerogel as the support materials for construction of form-stable phase change materials (PCMs) composites. Due to its abundant porosity, light weight of aerogel in nature, inherent superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties, lipophilic organic PCMs can be loaded into PP aerogel (PP/PCM) with a high PCMs loading of up to 1060 wt%, which is nearly two orders of magnitudes higher than those mostly reported form-stable PCMs systems. The PP/PCM composites show high latent heat in the range of 141.1 kJ kg−1 to 159.5 kJ kg−1 and excellent thermal stability and recyclability where their latent heat nearly remains unchanged even after 50 times of melting/freezing cycles. Results obtained from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) show that the incorporation of organic PCMs into PP aerogel network decreases the crystal size of PCMs in the composites. More interestingly, the PP/PCM composites show an enhanced thermal conductivity, in the case of PP/Paraffin composite, which is over two times of that of paraffin. Having the advantages of low cost and abundant resource of PP, simple preparatory process, high PCMs loading, good stability, recyclability and thermal conductivity, this the PP/PCM composites may have great potential for renewable energy saving applications.