Ultra-Light Graphene Tile-Based Phase-Change Material for Efficient Thermal and Solar Energy Harvest

A graphene tile-based phase-change material was reported to function as a thermal storage material and a light-absorption material simultaneously, which achieved directly efficient solar-to-thermal conversion and storage. The low-cost graphene tile, synthesized from polymer clay, possesses an extremely porous structure, outstanding thermal conductivity, and robust mechanical strength, which can function as a matrix for octadecanoic acid (OA) to improve its thermal conductivity, light-absorption efficiency, and shape stability. The graphene tile/octadecanoic acid (OA) composite exhibits a high OA content (95%) and latent heat (172.9 J/g), a quick thermal response (0.32 W m-K-1 (-1)), and a light-absorption efficiency of 85-90%. This low-cost graphene tile and its composite show promising potential for commercial applications such as thermal storage and solar energy harvest.