Fish-inspired dynamic charging for ultrafast self-protective solar-thermal energy storage.

Solar-thermal energy storage (STES) within solid-liquid phase change materials (PCMs) has emerged as an attractive solution to overcome intermittency of renewable energy. However, current storage systems usually suffer from slow charging rates, sacrificed storage capacity, and overheating tendency. Inspired by the thermoregulation behavior of fish, here, we present a quick-responsive, ultrafast, large-capacity, overheating-protective STES strategy. We fabricate a liquid-infused solar-absorbing foam charger that can rapidly advance the receding solid-liquid charging interface to efficiently store solar-thermal energy as latent heat and spontaneously float upward to cease the charging process upon overheating. This bioinspired dynamic charging is adaptable to a variety of PCMs, unlocking the potential for safe and efficient utilization of renewable thermal energy.