Preparation and characterization of the properties of polyethylene glycol @ Si3N4 nanowires as phase-change materials

•Si3N4 nanowires were a perfect carrier matrix to form shape-stabilized PCMs.•The preparation time of PCMs was shortened by ultrasonic cell disruptor.•Mechanism of preparing PCMs with Si3N4 nanowires was systematically discussed.•Latent heat, stability, and thermal properties of PCMs were excellent.

In this study, novel polyethylene glycol @ Si3N4 nanowires as phase-change materials (PCMs) were developed by using ultrasonic cell disruptor. The results obtained herein indicate that these nanowires can be a potential carrier for preparing PCMs. The results show that PEG is composited in a fluffy nano-network structure of Si3N4 nanowires, which could not be easily leaked from this structure for the solid–liquid phase transition. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were employed for investigating the structures of PCMs; the results show that a chemical reaction does not occur between PEG and Si3N4 nanowires. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis results indicated that PCMs exhibit appropriate phase-change temperature and excellent high-phase change enthalpy. From the TGA results, PCMs exhibit perfect thermal stability. The PCMs could perfectly maintain their phase transition after 100 melting–freezing cycles. The thermal conductivity of PCMs-1 was 0.362 W/(mK), which was enhanced by 88.54% in comparison with that to pure PEG. The heat storage or release rate of PCMs is significantly more rapid than that of pure PEG for practical applications.

Graphical abstractThe novel polyethylene glycol @ Si3N4 nanowires as phase-change materials (PCMs) have an optimum phase change temperature, an excellently high enthalpies of phase change, a perfect thermal stability, and the excellent heat storage/release rate.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide