Robust bacterial cellulose/BNNS hybrid aerogel-based composite phase change materials with enhanced thermal performance for efficient thermal management

Phase change materials (PCMs) have great potential as thermal management materials for high power density devices due to their impressive heat storage capacity and temperature regulation capabilities. However, the shape-stable PCMs with high thermal conductivity while effectively preventing latent heat loss pose significant challenges for their application in energy storage and temperature control systems. Herein, a green, lightweight and robust three-dimensional interconnected bacterial cellulose/boron nitride nanosheet (BC/BNNS) aerogel skeleton was developed to encapsulate the PCMs of paraffin via a facile freeze-drying and vacuum impregnation route. Benefiting from the interconnected arrangement of BNNS in hybrid aerogels skeleton, the resultant BC/BNNS based composite PCMs not only exhibits a high latent heat of 203.58 J/g, but also achieves an enhancement of thermal conductivity from 0.21 to 1.16 W/m·K compared to pure paraffin. Furthermore, the obtained composite PCMs with desirable thermophysical properties have great potential for extraordinary thermal management in electronic devices.