Latent heat nano composite building materials

• Published in: European polymer journal Vol. 46; no. 12; pp. 2247 - 2254
• Main Authors: Constantinescu, M., Dumitrache, L., Constantinescu, D., Anghel, E.M., Popa, V.T., Stoica, A., Olteanu, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Building materials; Buildings. Public works; Composite materials; Composites; Construction materials; Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC); Energy storage; Exact sciences and technology; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; Latent heat; Materials; Molecular structure; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanostructure; Phase change; Phase change materials; Plastics; Polyethylene glycol; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Polymers; Raman spectroscopy; Technology of polymers; Phase change materials; Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC); Polymers; Raman spectroscopy; Energy storage; Transition temperature; Latent heat storage; Phase change; Construction materials; Epoxy resin; Aluminium; Experimental study; Metal particle; Composite material; Ethylene oxide polymer; Morphology; PCM material; Modified material
• ISSN: 0014-3057; 1873-1945
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2010.09.007

Heat storage for heating and cooling of buildings reduces the conventional energy consumption with a direct impact on CO 2 emissions. The goal of this study was to find the physico-chemical fundamentals for tailoring phase change material (PCM)-epoxy composites as building materials depending on phase change temperature and latent heat using the optimal geometry for each application. Thus, some nano-composite materials were prepared by mixing a PCM with large latent heats with epoxy resin and Al powder. Some polyethylene glycols of different molecular weights (1000, 1500, and 2000) were used as PCMs. Subsequently these PCM-epoxy composites were thermo-physically characterized by DSC measurements and found to be suitable for building applications due to their large latent heat, appropriate phase change temperature and good performance stability. Moreover these cross-linked three dimensional structures are able to reduce the space and costs for encapsulation.