Dual-functional boron nitride boosts photothermal conversion performance and thermal conductivity of wood-inspired cellulose-based phase change materials for infrared stealth and personal thermal management

Phase change materials (PCMs) can absorb heat energy from the sunlight and release thermal energy to keep the thermal comfort of humans in harsh cold environments. However, the leakage problem, low photothermal conversion performance, and poor thermal conductivity limit their practical applications. Herein, a wood structure-inspired porous cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) aerogel was used to relieve the leakage problem of lauryl alcohol PCM. A novel boron nitride (BN)/silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) complex was fabricated by using gallic acid as a green reduction agent and used to enhance photothermal conversion performance and thermal conductivity of CNFs/lauryl alcohol composite. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and unique heat transfer paths of BN/Ag complex endow the resulting CNFs-based PCM with extraordinary photothermal conversion capacity (surface temperature of 58.2 ℃ under 1 kW m−2) and higher thermal conductivity. Combined with the high phase change enthalpy (172.90 J g−1), the resulting CNFs-based PCM showed potential applications in infrared stealth and personal thermal management fields. This work will open up a new avenue for fabricating a novel photothermal BN/Ag complex and provide a new idea for developing a multifunctional CNFs-based PCM for multi-scenario applications. [Display omitted] •A novel dual-functional BN/Ag complex was developed by a green reduction method.•The BN/Ag complex enhanced the photothermal conversion performance and thermal conductivity of CNFs-based PCMs simultaneously.•The designed CNFs-based PCM showed extraordinary infrared stealth and personal thermal management performance.