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@article{Yang:2026:10.1016/j.est.2026.121285,
author = {Yang, X and Liu, T and Zhang, Z and Cao, XE and Wu, D and Liu, L and Li, C and Xie, T and Qiu, Y},
doi = {10.1016/j.est.2026.121285},
journal = {Journal of Energy Storage},
title = {Architecting anisotropic thermal conductivity in phase change composites by graphene-bacterial cellulose aerogel for efficient solar-thermal harvesting},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2026.121285},
volume = {154},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - Phase change materials (PCMs) offer significant potential for storing heat harvested from solar irradiation. However, most PCMs suffer from poor shape stability, limited thermal conductivity as well as insufficient light absorption which severely restrict their solar-thermal efficiency and practical applications. Hence, we developed a facile method for producing high-performance phase change composites (PCCs) by impregnating stearic acid (SA) into the constructed vertically aligned reduced graphene oxide/bacterial cellulose (RGO/BC) aerogels. Experimental results confirm the successful fabrication of an anisotropic architecture in the RGO/BC aerogels via unidirectional freezing, which directly endowed the resulting PCCs with the ability to conduct heat anisotropically. The lateral thermal conductivity is merely 0.35 ± 0.01 W·m−1·K−1, while the axial thermal conductivity attains 0.83 ± 0.02 W·m−1·K−1, significantly exceeding that of pure SA. Moreover, the fabricated PCCs achieve a notable latent heat of 195.6 ± 1.7 J·g−1, corresponding to 83.9% of that of pure SA. Besides, the PCCs demonstrate outstanding shape and thermal cyclic stability. Benefiting from the exceptional light absorption of RGO/BC aerogels, the solar-thermal efficiency of the PCCs reaches 60.03%–75.97% under simulated solar irradiance of 2–3 suns. Overall, this work provides a feasible route to efficient solar-thermal conversion and thermal energy storage.
AU - Yang,X
AU - Liu,T
AU - Zhang,Z
AU - Cao,XE
AU - Wu,D
AU - Liu,L
AU - Li,C
AU - Xie,T
AU - Qiu,Y
DO - 10.1016/j.est.2026.121285
PY - 2026///
SN - 2352-152X
TI - Architecting anisotropic thermal conductivity in phase change composites by graphene-bacterial cellulose aerogel for efficient solar-thermal harvesting
T2 - Journal of Energy Storage
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2026.121285
UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352152X26009497
VL - 154
ER -
Climate Science
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