Study on three-dimensional porous carbon fiber-MWCNTs-PEG phase change materials and its photo/electricity-thermal conversion performance

Solar energy, as a crucial green energy source, attracted significant attention. Phase change materials (PCMs) addressed the intermittency issue by storing and releasing latent heat. This study innovatively combined carbon fibers (CFs), phenolic resin, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to create high-loading (>86 %) and high-enthalpy composite CF-based phase change materials (CFPCMs), with melting and freezing enthalpies of 156.6 J/g and 148.6 J/g. CFPCMs demonstrated excellent photothermal and electrothermal properties. The lightweight, porous CFs structure stabilized the PCMs matrix, enhancing its performance while facilitating the reuse of waste CFs products, thus contributing to environmental protection.