Can phase change materials improve thermal energy storage?

Efficient storage of thermal energy can be greatly enhanced by the use of phase change materials (PCMs). The selection or development of a useful PCM requires careful consideration of many physical and chemical properties. In this review of our recent studies of PCMs, we show that linking the molecular struc

What are phase change materials?

Phase change materials are substances that are able to absorb and store large amounts of thermal energy. The mechanism of PCMs for energy storage relies on the increased energy need of some materials to undergo phase transition.

What are phase change materials (PCMs)?

Phase change materials (PCMs) used for the storage of thermal energy as sensible and latent heat are an important class of modern materials which substantially contribute to the efficient use and conservation of waste heat and solar energy.

Can phase change materials improve building energy performance?

Taking into account the growing resource shortages, as well as the ongoing deterioration of the environment, the building energy performance improvement using phase change materials (PCMs) is considered as a solution that could balance the energy supply together with the corresponding demand.

Why are phase change materials difficult to design?

Phase change materials (PCMs), which are commonly used in thermal energy storage applications, are difficult to design because they require excellent energy density and thermal transport, both of which are difficult to predict from simple physics-based models.

Are phase change materials suitable for heating & cooling applications?

The research, design, and development (RD&D) for phase change materials have attracted great interest for both heating and cooling applications due to their considerable environmental-friendly nature and capability of storing a large amount of thermal energy in small volumes as widely studied through experiments [7, 8].