Phase change composite-enabled flexible thermoelectric cooling for personal thermal-regulation

• Published in: Journal of energy storage 2025-01, Vol.105, p.114757, Article 114757
• Main Authors: Cao, Lingxiao, Zhang, Qiubo, Cen, Junfeng, Yu, Dehai, Li, Maolin, Yang, Chao, He, Zhizhu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Personal thermal management; Phase change material; Thermoelectrical cooling
• ISSN: 2352-152X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.est.2024.114757

Thermoelectric coolers (TECs) are expected to be utilized in personal thermal management applications due to their environmental friendliness, noise-free operation, lightweight design, and fast response time. However, the cooling efficiency of TECs heavily relies on the heat sinks of the hot side, which are typically rigid and bulky, causing them unsuitable for wearable devices. To address this issue, this work developed a phase change flexible heatsink utilizing copper foam as the framework and a ternary composite phase change material as the filler, exhibiting a high thermal conductivity of 4.92 W/(m·K) and latent heat of 139.64 J/g. A phase change composite-enabled TEC with excellent flexibility (bending radius of 15 mm) is thus successfully prepared. It can achieve a stable temperature drop of 17 °C over 6 h. An intelligent temperature-controlled headband has also been designed by integrating with a wireless communication module for precise temperature regulation via a mobile phone app interface. This headband ensures optimal comfort by maintaining forehead temperature around 32 °C even when ambient temperatures present large fluctuate. The temperature-controlled headband could be applied to emergency medicine settings, healthcare facilities, and outdoor sports activities. •A ternary phase change composite heatsink is prepared with a high therm condutivity of 4.92 W/(m·K).•The flexible thermoelectric cooler maintains a stable temperature drop of 17 °C over 6 h.•An intelligent temperature-controlled headband is developed for precise temperature regulation.•The headband could maintain forehead temperature at 32 °C under significant ambient temperature change.