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Polyethylene glycol encapsulated in a plasmodesmata inspired carbon nanotube-porous carbon hierarchical skeleton for thermal energy storage

Author

Listed:
  • Feng, Daili
  • Zhou, Bo
  • Li, Pei
  • Liu, Chuanping
  • Elgamal, Ramadan
  • ElMasry, Gamal
  • Zhang, Tongtong
  • Feng, Yanhui

Abstract

This study presents, for the first time, the incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into a porous carbon skeleton, inspired by the unique “plasmodesmata” structure of plants. This design forms a dual-network system consisting of a stable primary porous framework and a secondary CNT network, thereby creating abundant thermal mass transfer channels. The influence of CNT integration was first investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Guided by thermal design principles, experiments were conducted using tea residue-derived hierarchical porous carbon (TRHPC), which inherently possesses rich micro- and nano-pore channels. These pores facilitated the physical compositing of CNTs and the encapsulation of polyethylene glycol (PEG). Compared to the CNT-free composite, the resulting PEG/TRHPC@CNT exhibited a 64 % increase in phase change latent heat, a 28 % enhancement in thermal storage capacity, and a thermal conductivity of 1.036 W/(m·K). Furthermore, the incorporation of CNTs into the porous skeleton enabled the PEG/TRHPC@CNT composite to effectively reduce the surface temperature of electronic devices, significantly extending their heating/cooling cycle duration. The composite demonstrated a 30 % improvement in photothermal conversion efficiency compared to its CNT-free counterpart.

Suggested Citation

  • Feng, Daili & Zhou, Bo & Li, Pei & Liu, Chuanping & Elgamal, Ramadan & ElMasry, Gamal & Zhang, Tongtong & Feng, Yanhui, 2025. "Polyethylene glycol encapsulated in a plasmodesmata inspired carbon nanotube-porous carbon hierarchical skeleton for thermal energy storage," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:255:y:2025:i:c:s0960148125015101
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.123846
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Zhou, Tian & He, Chicheng & Cao, Yaowen & Da, Jiaying & Rao, Zhenghua & Shi, Lei & Li, Hongwei, 2026. "From material design to functional implementation: Performance enhancement mechanisms and application advances in photothermal phase change materials," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 226(PD).

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