Radial-like mesoporous silica sphere: A promising new candidate of supporting material for storage of low-, middle-, and high-temperature heat

In the study, polyethylene glycol (PEG), lithium nitrate (LiNO3), and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) were employed as the low-, middle-, and high-temperature heat storage media, respectively. A series of novel shape-stabilized phase change materials were tailored by a post-preparation method with previously synthesized radial-like mesoporous silica and their structural and thermal properties were characterized. The silica was synthesized through a facile self-assembly process using cetyltriethylammonium bromide as the main template and tetraethyl orthosilicate as silica precursor. The obtained phase change composites showed good shape stability and high thermal energy storage capacity. The morphology and structure of the radial-like mesoporous silica were investigated after combining with different heat storage media. These composites exhibited excellent thermal stability, chemical compatibility, and thermal reliability. The efficient silica support has opened up some new application of energy materials based on novel phase change material/silica composites, such as energy conversion and heat storage for different temperature requirements.