Phase Change Nanocapsules Enabling Dual-Mode Thermal Management for Fast-Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries

The fast-charging performance of conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is determined by the working temperature. LIBs may fail to work under harsh conditions, especially in the low-temperature range of the local environment or in the high-temperature circumstances resulting from the release of substantial Joule heating in the short term. Constructing a thermal engineering framework for thermal regulation and maintaining the battery running at an appropriate temperature range are feasible strategies for developing temperature-tolerant, fast-charging LIBs. In this work, we prepare phase change nanocapsules as a thermal regulating layer on the cell surface. The polyurea shells of the nanocapsules are decorated with polyaniline, where the molecular vibration of polyaniline is enhanced under solar irradiation, enabling light-to-heat conversion that achieves an effective temperature increment at low temperatures. Based on the large latent heat storage capability of the