Advance in Nanocomposite Phase Change Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Phase change materials (PCMs) are a family of chemical substances able to absorb or release large quantities of latent-heat thermal energy at a constant temperature by undergoing a phase transformation. PCMs have considerably higher thermal energy-storage densities in comparison to sensible heat-storage materials and can effectively improve energy efficiency by bridging the gap between energy availability and energy use, thus reducing energy waste. As a type of promising sustainable energy materials, PCMs have not only been applied in renewable energy effective utilization such as solar thermal energy and low-temperature waste heat utilization such as industrial waste heat and waste heat from combined cooling, heating, and power systems, but also broadly used for thermal regulation and thermal management in the fields of photovoltaic–thermoelectric systems, pharmaceutical or biological products requiring cool storage, temperature-sensitive electronic parts or devices requiring cool or thermal protection, telecom shelters in tropical regions, energy-saving buildings, smart fibers and textiles with a thermoregulatory function, thermal buffering of Li-ion batteries, thermal comfort in vehicles, and many more.

In recent years, the functionalization of PCMs for multipurpose applications through nanocompositing or nanoencapsulation has received a great deal of attention from both the academic and industrial communities. Through innovative designs and fabrication in the nanoscale, PCMs can attain the additional functionality of photocatalysis, antibiosis, magnetism, electrical conduction, photoluminescence, and many more in addition to heat energy storage and thermal management.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials aims to cover the most recent advances in nanostructured PCMs and relevant technologies, including but not limited to material design, fabrications, physical and chemical characterizations, and applications. Novel works on structure design for the functionality of PCMs in nanoscale for multipurpose applications are of interest. We invite original papers in various formats, including full papers, communications, and reviews. The potential topics are as follows:

• Innovative design of nanostructured PCMs and their composites;
• Nano-/microencapsulation of PCMs with enhanced thermal performance and additional functions;
• Nanofabrication and nanostructural control of PCMs at the nanoscale;
• New structures and new functions of PCMs in nanoscale;
• Simulation analysis of PCMs in nanoscale of nanomaterials;
• Multifunctional designs and multipurpose application of PCMs in nanoscale;
• Environmentally friendly fabrication of nanostructured PCMs with multifunctions;
• Other recent advances in nanostructured PCMs for multipurpose applications.

Prof. Dr. Xiaodong Wang
Guest Editor

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