ScholarWorks@중앙대학교

초록

Phase change materials (PCMs) offer promising solutions for thermal energy storage and management, but their practical application is limited by low thermal conductivity, poor shape stability, and inadequate mechanical properties. Here, we present a bio-inspired composite system that addresses these challenges through the synergistic integration of genipin-crosslinked silk nanofibrils (SNF) and chitosan-functionalized boron nitride (fBN). The chitosan functionalization, achieved via ball milling, introduced abundant –OH and –NH2 functional groups on the BN surface, significantly enhancing its dispersibility and enabling subsequent chemical crosslinking. Genipin-mediated crosslinking between fBN and SNF established a robust three-dimensional network that served as both a structural scaffold and thermal conduction pathway. The resulting composite, fabricated through aerogel formation, infiltration, and hot-pressing, demonstrated exceptional multifunctional performance. Through-plane thermal conductivity reached 6.12 W m−1 K−1 (2814% enhancement over pristine PEG) while maintaining high latent heat capacity (126.3 J/g). The composite exhibited excellent shape stability with 99.85% retention rate above the melting point, enhanced mechanical properties (3.9 MPa tensile stress), and superior electrical insulation (5.45 × 1011 Ω·cm). Long-term reliability was confirmed through 150 thermal cycles without performance degradation. Practical validation as a CPU thermal interface material demonstrated a 10.8 °C temperature reduction under high thermal loads, enabling sustained computational performance. This work establishes a versatile platform for developing high-performance PCM composites through bio-inspired crosslinking strategies, offering significant potential for next-generation thermal management applications in electronics and energy storage systems.

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