Preparation and properties of erythritol form-stable phase change materials supported by composite aerogels derived from cellulose and silica

Modification of cellulose aerogels (CAs) with silica can obtain novel renewable and biodegradable aerogels as promising supporting materials for form-stable phase change materials (fs-PCMs). Herein, silica-decorated CAs (SCAs) and erythritol (ET) crystal seeds incorporated SCAs (ESCAs) were prepared, and the ESCAs were further pyrolyzed to prepare carbonized SCAs (CSCAs). The prepared aerogels were then adsorbed with ET to obtain fs-PCMs. The SCAs and ESCAs possessed hierarchical pores and high specific surface areas, which were in favor of their adsorption of ET, and the doping of silica was beneficial for suppressing the supercooling of the fs-PCMs. Moreover, The ET crystal seeds in the ESCAs could further improve the latent heat storage property and effectively suppress the supercooling of the fs-PCMs. The highest melting enthalpy (Δ H m ) of ESCA-ET fs-PCMs could attain 288.1 J/g, corresponding to an ET loading of 91.4 %. On the other hand, the CSCAs were composed of amorphous carbon and silica. The amorphous carbon and the porous structure of the CSCAs endowed the obtained fs-PCMs a Δ H m of 254.3 J/g, corresponding to an ET loading of 80.6 %, with a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 68.8 % and a greatly suppressed supercooling of 21.7 °C.