LAUSR

Abstract While phase change material (PCM)-encapsulated polyHIPE monoliths are advantageous for latent heat storage, brittleness and time-consuming preparation hinder their wide application. Herein, we report the rapid fabrication of closed-cell, flexible monoliths through emulsion templating in seconds through ammonia-catalyzed interfacial thiol-Michael addition. Using an organic PCM (octodecane, OD) as the dispersed phase, OD-encapsulated monoliths with flexibility were fabricated for the first time. The monoliths exhibited high flexibility at temperature over 30 °C and robust compressive property. The OD-encapsulated monoliths possessed extremely high heat capacity (up to 213 J/g, ~90% pure OD), and high reusability/stability (without obvious deterioration in heat capacity after 100 heating/cooling cycles). The feature that combines the rapid synthesis, high flexibility, mechanical robustness, high heat capacity and good reusability/stability enabled the OD-encapsulated monoliths to be excellent candidates for latent heat storage.