Enhanced thermal performance of polyethylene glycol phase change materials co-mediated by silver-plated melamine foam-carbon nanotube frameworks

• A silver-plated melamine foam (MF) framework is designed. • A phenolamine aggregate coating is constructed on the MF via a redox reaction. • Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based composites are examined as a phase change material. • APFH@PEG achieves a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 92.4%. Phase change materials (PCMs) absorb and release energy from the environment effectively during the phase change process, leading to their widespread use in the field of thermal energy storage. However, the development of PCMs has been limited by issues such as poor thermal conductivity and light absorption. We therefore designed a silver-plated melamine foam (MF) framework and synthesized a phenolamine aggregate coating on the MF through a redox reaction, enhancing the bonding with silver nanoparticles and resulting in fully silver-plated MF. Meanwhile, hydroxylated carbon nanotubes (HCNTs) were added to the framework as a filler. This modification improved the conductivity of the corresponding polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based composite PCMs from 0.33 (pure PEG) to 0.82 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ due to the construction of a multilevel thermal conduction channel. Additionally, a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 92.4% was achieved through the combined effect of the local resonance absorption of the silver and the molecular thermal vibration of the HCNTs. These advances provide a new strategy for optimizing the performance of PCMs, with potential applications in energy storage and thermal management.