Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Based Composite Aerogel Phase-Change Material for Thermal Management

Phase-change energy storage materials have been widely applied in thermal management because of their ability to effectively address issues such as mismatched energy supply and demand. However, challenges such as the leakage of phase change materials and the poor mechanical properties of their corresponding supporting frameworks can reduce the energy storage capacity of composite phase change materials. These challenges pose obstacles to the practical application of such materials. This study successfully produced a composite phase-change aerogel material by using n-octadecane and a poly(vinyl alcohol) aerogel with borax cross-links. The prepared composite phase-change material exhibited excellent shape stability, high thermal stability, and high phase change enthalpy. The mechanical properties of the composite phase-change material were considerably enhanced by borax cross-linking and the adsorption of the phase change materials. Furthermore, the composite material demonstrated an outstanding thermal management performance at low temperatures. These findings provide a direction for the development of innovative composite phase-change aerogel materials.