Novel Magnetic-to-Thermal Conversion and Thermal Energy Management Composite Phase Change Material

Superparamagnetic materials have elicited increasing interest due to their high-efficiency magnetothermal conversion. However, it is difficult to effectively manage the magnetothermal energy due to the continuous magnetothermal effect at present. In this study, we designed and synthesized a novel Fe₃O₄/PEG/SiO₂ composite phase change material (PCM) that can simultaneously realize magnetic-to-thermal conversion and thermal energy management because of outstanding thermal energy storage ability of PCM. The composite was fabricated by in situ doping of superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoclusters through a simple sol⁻gel method. The synthesized Fe₃O₄/PEG/SiO₂ PCM exhibited good thermal stability, high phase change enthalpy, and excellent shape-stabilized property. This study provides an additional promising route for application of the magnetothermal effect.