doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2026.150706engYu, TingtingQiu, XiaolinDelgado, MónicaLázaro, AnaHu, YangPolysaccharide–protein complex-stabilized Pickering phase change material emulsions for low-temperature thermal energy storageART-2026-148301Low-temperature phase change material emulsions (PCMEs) are excellent thermal storage media but have environmental and toxicity issues due to poorly degradable synthetic surfactants; single-component biopolymer systems lack stability, low-temperature Pickering emulsion research is scarce, protein-polysaccharide composite stabilizers in PCMEs are unreported, and Boron Nitride (BN) -biopolymer synergistic effects on supercooling remain unexplored. This study aims to develop an environmentally friendly, high-performance, low-temperature Pickering phase change material emulsion to simultaneously optimize stability, environmental compatibility, and thermal performance. This study proposes substituting traditional emulsifiers with self-assembled sodium caseinate (SC)-xanthan gum (XG) nanocomposites. Phase change emulsions were prepared by high-speed homogenization, and boron nitride was added to synergistically reduce supercooling and improve heat transfer. The SC–XG complexes adsorb at n-tetradecane/water interfaces, forming a viscoelastic interfacial network that enhances droplet stability and restricts coalescence. Thermal analysis revealed that, at 0.5% (w/v) XG, the 50 vol% n-tetradecane PCME droplets are uniform and kinetically stable, delivering a latent heat of 89.5 J g− 1. Adding only 0.75 wt% BN induces heterogeneous nucleation, cuts supercooling from 7.8 ◦C to 0.24 ◦C, and boosts thermal conductivity. This study proposes a novel protein-polysaccharide-based technical pathway for constructing green and sustainable low-temperature thermal storage materials, while also synergistically regulating the crystallization behavior and heat transfer performance of the emulsion through BN. This study provides both a theoretical foundation and a green technical solution for designing stable and efficient phase change material emulsions for thermal energy storage.2026http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/16922810.1016/j.ijbiomac.2026.150706http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/169228oai:zaguan.unizar.es:169228info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/PID2023-148958OB-C21info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/RYC2023-044207-Iinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/T55-23Rinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EUR/MICINN/TED2021-131061B–C31International journal of biological macromolecules 347 (2026), 150706 [17 pp.]All rights reservedhttp://www.europeana.eu/rights/rr-f/info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess