Novel Magnetic-to-Thermal Conversion and Thermal Energy Management Composite Phase Change Material

• DOI: 10.3390/polym10060585
• Publication Date: 2018-05-29T06:58:18Z
• Authors: Xiaoqiao Fan; Jinqiu Xiao; Wentao Wang; Yuang Zhang; Shufen Zhang; Bingtao Tang
• Keywords: 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology; 7. Clean energy; superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ nanocluster; magnetothermal conversion; phase-change material; thermal energy management; Article

Superparamagnetic materials have elicited increasing interest due to their high-efficiency magnetothermal conversion. However, it is difficult to effectively manage the magnetothermal energy due to the continuous magnetothermal effect at present. In this study, we designed and synthesized a novel Fe3O4/PEG/SiO2 composite phase change material (PCM) that can simultaneously realize magnetic-to-thermal conversion and thermal energy management because of outstanding thermal energy storage ability of PCM. The composite was fabricated by in situ doping of superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoclusters through a simple sol–gel method. The synthesized Fe3O4/PEG/SiO2 PCM exhibited good thermal stability, high phase change enthalpy, and excellent shape-stabilized property. This study provides an additional promising route for application of the magnetothermal effect.