Enhanced thermal conductivity of a superhydrophobic thermal energy storage coating based on artificially cultured diatom frustules

Li，Dandan; Sun，Haoyang; Li，Tao; Yang，Meng; Xiong，Tiancheng; Sun，Dazhi

2023-10-01

10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.121462

Applied Energy   Impact Factor & Quartile

0306-2619

1872-9118

Solid-liquid phase change materials (PCMs) provide an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution for waste heat recovery and thermal management. However, leakage and low thermal conductivity are two long-standing bottlenecks for their large-scale application. Applying a synthesized multi-level porous scaffold to prepare shape-stabilized PCMs (ss-PCMs) is an efficient, but high-cost strategy used to address the above problem. Herein, a strategy for fabricating enhanced thermally conductive ss-PCM coatings has been developed using artificially cultured, hierarchically porous Ag nanoparticle decorated diatom frustules (Ag-DFs) utilizing a facile spray-coating method. The delicate pores and high specific surface area (101.78 m/g) endow the Ag-DFs to adsorb 55 wt% of paraffin wax (PW) without leakage, thereby exhibiting a melting enthalpy of 114.27 J/g. The corresponding ss-PCM coatings demonstrate a thermal conductivity of 0.87 W/m·K, which is ∼ 2.95-fold higher than pure PW. In addition, the abundant micro/nanoscale texture in the Ag-DFs along with the low-surface-energy of PW synergistically produce superhydrophobicity in the coating, thereby improving its ability to resist external environmental impacts, extending the service life. With high energy storage density, enhanced thermal conductivity, and good scalability, our superhydrophobic ss-PCM coating should find potential use in energy-saving building materials and thermal management of electrical devices, as well as self-cleaning surfaces.

Artificially cultured diatom frustules Shape-stabilized phase change materials Superhydrophobic coatings Thermal conductivity

SCI

English

First ; Corresponding

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory Program from the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province[2021B1212040001] ; Key University Laboratory of Highly Efficient Utilization of Solar Energy and Sustainable Development[2021LSYS004]

Energy & Fuels ; Engineering

Energy & Fuels ; Engineering, Chemical

WOS:001032927800001

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

ENGINEERING

2-s2.0-85163863243

Scopus

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Oxide Materials and Devices,Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,Guangdong,518055,China

Li，Dandan,Sun，Haoyang,Li，Tao,et al. Enhanced thermal conductivity of a superhydrophobic thermal energy storage coating based on artificially cultured diatom frustules[J]. Applied Energy,2023,347.

Li，Dandan,Sun，Haoyang,Li，Tao,Yang，Meng,Xiong，Tiancheng,&Sun，Dazhi.(2023).Enhanced thermal conductivity of a superhydrophobic thermal energy storage coating based on artificially cultured diatom frustules.Applied Energy,347.

Li，Dandan,et al."Enhanced thermal conductivity of a superhydrophobic thermal energy storage coating based on artificially cultured diatom frustules".Applied Energy 347(2023).