Phase change materials (PCMs) face scalability challenges for industrial use due to problems such as phase transition leakage, less-than-ideal thermal conductivity, and limited photothermal absorption. Our study addresses these issues by developing sophisticated phase change composites (PCCs) reinforced with Cu nanoparticle-laden porous carbon rolls. These rolls, formed from cotton cloth, serve as a matrix for embedding Cu nanoparticles, which significantly enhance interfacial thermal conductivity. The synthesis of these PCCs involves a vacuum impregnation technique using paraffin wax as the PCM core, resulting in a composite with enhanced thermal conductivity and robust structural integrity. This novel approach boosts anisotropic thermal conductivity to 3.4 W/(m·K) along the axial direction and 2 W/(m·K) radially. These PCCs demonstrate superior solar-thermal-electric energy conversion capabilities, making them promising candidates for applications in solar energy harvesting, thermal energy storage, and effective thermal regulation systems.

Phase change composites; Cu nanoparticles; Anisotropic carbon rolls; Thermal conductivity; Solar-thermal-electric energy conversion