Cement-Based Materials with Solid-Gel Phase Change Materials for Improving Energy Efficiency of Building Envelope

Zhuo Liu, Jiang Du, Ryan Steere, Joshua P. Schlegel, Kamal H. Khayat, Weina Meng

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper evaluated the cement-based materials incorporated with novel solid-gel phase change materials (PCMs) for improving the energy efficiency of building envelopes. This novel PCM is form-stable, which will not leak as solid-liquid PCMs do and not need encapsulation, and it features high energy-storage capacity. Experimental results showed that the thermal properties of cement-based materials were improved as the increase of PCM content. A 30% replacement of sand by volume with PCM can increase the latent heat of the mixture from around 0 to 7 J/g and decrease the thermal conductivity of PCM mortar based on the generalized self-consistent (GSC) model by about 20%. However, the workability and mechanical properties were compromised. The simulation results indicated that 30% PCM-incorporated walls can contribute to 5% energy saving for cooling in a whole year and 12% reduction in peak cooling load compared with the reference without PCM. The proposed PCM composite offers a promising avenue to achieve energy-efficient building envelopes.

Original languageEnglish
Article number04023425
JournalJournal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume35
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Nov 2023

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