受生物启发的重力导向组装铜纳米片互锁支架：各向异性的形状自适应相变复合材料用于太阳能-热能转换与热管理

Abstract Phase change materials like paraffin wax are promising for thermal energy storage but suffer from low thermal conductivity and structural instability during melting. Here, we report the fabrication of shape-adaptive phase change composites via a bioinspired gravity-directed assembly method, integrating copper nanosheets into a polydimethylsiloxane matrix to form mussel-like interlocking lamellar scaffolds. The hierarchical copper nanosheets network enhances in-plane thermal conductivity to 4.27 W·m −1 ·K −1 (20× that of pure paraffin wax) with a 5:1 anisotropic ratio, enabling rapid lateral heat diffusion. The PDMS matrix endows flexibility and shape adaptability, while interlocked copper nanosheets physically constrain molten paraffin wax, achieving a negligible leakage rate of 0.2 wt% at 80 °C and stable phase transitions over 200 cycles. Under simulated solar irradiation, the optimal composite (PW/PDMS/Cu0.5) exhibits an 84.8 % solar-thermal conversion efficiency, driven by accelerated heat transfer and efficient latent heat storage. Infrared thermal imaging confirms superior performance in electronic device cooling (8 °C temperature reduction in smartphone chips) and automotive thermal management, demonstrating conformal adaptation to complex surfaces. This bioinspired strategy bridges high thermal conductivity, shape stability, and functional adaptability, offering a scalable solution for advanced thermal management in flexible electronics, solar-thermal systems, and beyond.