Driven by the "dual carbon" strategic goals, phase change materials (PCMs) have become a research frontier in the energy sector, thanks to their superior latent heat storage and release capabilities during reversible phase transition processes. Biobased polymers offer an effective solution to mitigate the environmental burdens imposed by traditional petroleum-based PCMs. Chitosan, featuring prominent advantages such as non-toxicity, biodegradability, abundant reactive sites, and ease of modification, serves as an ideal matrix for constructing high-performance composite PCMs. This paper systematically reviews the research advances in the preparation strategies and applications of chitosan-based PCMs. The core contribution of this review lies in its exclusive focus on chitosan as a bio-based matrix/shell, quantitative comparison of four typical preparation routes, and critical analysis of performance–structure–application relationships. The preparation strategies mainly encompass physical blending, graft modification, microencapsulation, and carrier adsorption, each with distinct characteristics. Relevant studies have validated their feasibility and performance merits. The application scope of such materials has been extended to drug delivery, tissue engineering, intelligent thermoregulatory textiles, food preservation and packaging, building energy efficiency, and thermal management of electronic devices, exhibiting broad application prospects. Looking ahead, efforts should be focused on addressing current bottlenecks including low thermal conductivity, insufficient cycling stability, and poor scalability, and developing multifunctional intelligent materials with high energy storage density, rapid responsiveness, long cycle life, and low environmental footprint. Through interdisciplinary collaborative innovation, the breakthrough application of chitosan-based PCMs in more high-value fields will be promoted.
Yi et al. (Fri,) studied this question.