Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
As the need for enhanced energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy increases, polyethylene glycol (PEG), a crucial element in phase change materials (PCMs), has gained considerable focus in the areas of temperature control and energy storage. Nevertheless, PEG faces leakage and undesired light absorption problems in practical applications. In this study, melamine foam (MF) is utilized as an encapsulation material in an attempt to tackle the leakage problem. ZIF-67 is incorporated onto MF by in situ growth, followed by high-temperature carbonization to prepare a hierarchical porous carbon, which further enhances the absorbance of phase change composite (PCC). The crystallization of the prepared PCCs is in the range of 157.9-170.3 J/g. The photo-thermal conversion rate of PCC is 92.65%, and the thermal conductivity is 0.38 W/(m∙K). In conclusion, the problems of PEG leakage and low light absorption were solved by carbonized porous encapsulation technique and in situ growth of ZIF-67, which enhanced the solar-thermal energy conversion of storage and PCCs. • The adsorption rate of matrix materials on PEG is 94.4% • MF/PDA/ZIF-67/PEG PCCs exhibited high latent heat (168.2 J/g) • PCC has a photo-thermal conversion rate of 92.65%
Liu et al. (Fri,) studied this question.