Advanced multifunctional Co/N co-doped carbon foam-based phase change materials for wearable thermal management

To cope with the complex and changeable extreme environments, extending multifunctionality is crucial for potable smart wearable composite phase change materials (PCMs). Herein, we developed advanced Co/N co-doped carbon foam-based multifunctional “five-in-one” composite PCMs integrating dual-temperature thermal management, light-triggered heating, waterproof, flame retardant, and microwave absorption through high-temperature calcination of melamine foam@ZIF67 and melting encapsulation of paraffin wax (PW). Benefiting from the strong full-spectrum absorption, fast photon and phonon transport, and local surface plasmon resonance effect, our designed foam-based composite PCMs exhibited an ultrahigh photothermal conversion efficiency of 95.17 %. More importantly, foam-based composite PCMs demonstrated excellent thermal management, structural stability and thermal storage stability after undergoing 300 heating–cooling cycles. Furthermore, foam-based composite PCMs showed superior microwave absorption (RL min  = -57.93 dB), good flame retardancy and satisfactory hydrophobicity (contact angle > 100°). Thus, our developed multifunctional foam-based composite PCMs provide great potential for personalized thermal management and anti-radiation smart wearables even in harsh environments (e.g., rain, snow, sweat, fire, extreme cold, extreme heat and electromagnetic interference), creating a versatile platform for smart wearable light-triggered phase change heater with on-demand properties.