Delivery and utilization of photo-energy for temperature control using a light-driven microfluidic control device at –40 °C

Abstract

Low-temperature energy harvest, delivery, and utilization pose significant challenges for thermal management in extreme environments owing to heat loss during transport and difficulty in temperature control. Herein, we propose a light-driven photo-energy delivery device with a series of photo-responsive alkoxy-grafted azobenzene-based phase-change materials (a-g-Azo PCMs). These a-g-Azo PCMs store and release crystallization and isomerization enthalpies, reaching a high energy density of 380.76 J/g even at a low temperature of –63.92 °C. On this basis, we fabricate a novel three-branch light-driven microfluidic control device for distributed energy recycling that achieves light absorption, energy storage, controlled movement, and selective release cyclically over a wide range of temperatures. The a-g-Azo PCMs move remote-controllably in the microfluidic device at an average velocity of 0.11–0.53 cm/s owing to the asymmetric thermal expansion effect controlled by the temperature difference. During movement, the optically triggered heat release of a-g-Azo PCMs achieves a temperature difference of 6.6 °C even at a low temperature of –40 °C. These results provide a new technology for energy harvest, delivery, and utilization in low-temperature environments via a remote manipulator.

Keywords

a-g-Azo PCMs / high-energy storage / light-driven microfluidic control device / optically triggered heat release / ultralow temperature

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