Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
78041 | Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells | 2014 | 6 Pages |
•Sunlight-driven form-stable phase change material (MCNT/PEG/SiO2) was obtained by the simple ultrasound assisted sol–gel method.•The η of the OCSPCM was 0.918 (visible light from 400 nm to 700 nm).•The phase change latent heats of the OCSPCMs were more than 113 J/g.•The MCNT/PEG/SiO2 composition has excellent form-stable character and good phase-change performance during phase change process.
Carbon nanotube/PEG/SiO2 composites were prepared from multiwall carbon nanotubes, poly(ethylene glycol), and inorganic SiO2, and found to be an efficient full-band sunlight conversion and storage device. Compared with traditional phase-change materials, the composite exhibited rapid and broadband visible light-harvesting characteristics, light-thermal conversion, thermal energy storage ability, form-stable effects, and high thermal conductivity. The results showed that the combination of a light–heat conversion agent and a phase change thermal storage material can effectively improve the efficiency of solar energy applications.
Graphical abstractCarbon nanotube/PEG/SiO2 composite was used to harvest UV–visible light of solar irradiation, convert light to thermal energy and store the thermal energy.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide