Carbon based materials have a wide absorption range for sunlight，high photothermal conversion efficiency，and excellent thermal conductivity and can be used for photothermal conversion of solar power. They are key materials for achieving green utilization of renewable solar energy. However，solar radiation is intermittent，which is unfavorable for the large-scale utilization of solar energy. Therefore，by combining carbon based photothermal materials with phase change materials，the solar energy absorbed by the photothermal materials can be stored in the phase change materials for nighttime use. This research summarized and classified carbon based photothermal conversion materials，reviewed the composite encapsulation strategies of carbon based photothermal conversionand phase change materials，summarized the effects of different combination methods on photothermal conversion efficiency and thermal storage performance，and briefly introduced the applications of photothermal phase change composites in solar water heaters，building energy conservation，and human-body thermal management. Finally，the future development direction of carbon based photothermal phase change composites wasanalyzed，providing references for the preparation of new photothermal phase change composites with high conversion efficiency.