LAUSR

Abstract A novel photo-thermal composite phase change material (PCM) was prepared by physically blending polyethylene glycol (PEG) and the graphene covalently grafted with amino azobenzene (AAZO) derivatives. The microstructure, crystallization, and chemical property of the composites PCM were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) analysis techniques, respectively. The thermal storage property was characterized by DSC. The photo-thermal conversion performance was characterized in a photo-thermal conversion measurement system. These measurements demonstrated that AAZO was successfully grafted on graphene oxide. AAZO-GO and PEG were combined through intermolecular physical interactions. The latent heat of the synthesized AAZO-GO/PEG composite PCM was greater than 84.5 J/g. UV–vis spectra show that AAZO-GO/PEG composite PCMs exhibited high absorbance under visible light illumination. The photo-thermal conversion efficiency reach 91.0%.