Advanced phase change hydrogel integrating metal-organic framework for self-powered thermal management

With increasing global installation of photovoltaic panels and more complex functionalities of smart electronic devices, a fundamental problem in photovoltaic conversion and electronic device operation is massive heat generation, which severely reduces energy utilization efficiency and service life. Herein, we proposed a self-powered thermal management strategy integrating metal-organic framework (MOF) and liquid-gas phase change hydrogel ((Poly (vinyl alcohol)/CaCl2·6H2O, PVA/CH), which is much beyond traditional solid-liquid phase change materials in phase change enthalpy. Benefiting from the self-adaptive capability of MOF, MOF@PVA/CH bilayer was capable of efficiently evaporating water molecules with a rate of ∼0.90 kg m−2 h−1 at higher temperature and capturing water molecules with a rate of 0.21 g g−1 from the surrounding humid air at lower temperature for self-regeneration. Specifically, this self-adaptive passive cooling strategy tremendously boosted the thermal management efficiency of the simulative heater, and reduced the surface temperature of solar cell by 18 ℃. Our proposed approach provides a promising reference for achieving high cooling efficiency, low-energy consumption, and self-powered thermal management for thermo-related devices.