Abstract To high value-added utilization of waste polystyrene (PS) foam, an in-situ phase change material (PCM) encapsulation protocol was realized by using waste PS foam as a holding material for thermal energy storage with a shape-stabilization methodology. Mechanistic study suggested that the robust Lewis acid catalysed Friedel-Crafts reaction involved was the key to the success of this method owing to a simultaneous process of porous structure formation and PCM impregnation, by which the PCM encapsulation rate can attain to 68.7% without leakage. Lewis acid catalysts used in the process were able to be converted to their corresponding metal oxides via a simple alkali treatment, which not only diminished the tedious metal species isolation step but also made an external thermal conductivity enhancement that an utmost 61.0% thermal conductivity enhancement can be achieved compared with that of pristine paraffin wax. Additionally, the PCM composite preparation process can be facilely scaled up which strongly demonstrated its real application feasibility. Moreover, besides waste PS foam, other waste PS based materials were proven to be feasible towards PCM holding materials with the same approach.

中文翻译：

---

废聚苯乙烯制备高效蓄热复合材料

摘要 为了实现废聚苯乙烯（PS）泡沫的高附加值利用，采用形状稳定方法，利用废聚苯乙烯泡沫作为热能储存的保持材料，实现了原位相变材料（PCM）封装方案。机理研究表明，由于多孔结构的形成和 PCM 浸渍的同时进行，所涉及的强大的路易斯酸催化的 Friedel-Crafts 反应是该方法成功的关键，通过该过程，PCM 包封率可以达到 68.7% 而不会泄漏。该过程中使用的路易斯酸催化剂能够通过简单的碱处理转化为其相应的金属氧化物，这不仅减少了繁琐的金属物种分离步骤，而且使外部热导率提高了最大 61。与原始石蜡相比，可实现 0% 的导热率提高。此外，PCM复合材料的制备过程可以轻松放大，这有力地证明了其实际应用的可行性。此外，除了废弃的 PS 泡沫外，其他废弃的 PS 基材料也被证明对于使用相同方法的 PCM 保持材料是可行的。