Stability of Adsorbent Sheets Under Accelerated-Aging Tests for Open-Cycle Adsorption Processes

Emanuela Mastronardo (), Stefano De Antonellis, Angelo Freni, Candida Milone and Luigi Calabrese
Additional contact information
Emanuela Mastronardo: Department of Engineering, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy
Stefano De Antonellis: Department of Energy, Polytechnic of Milan, 20156 Milan, Italy
Angelo Freni: CNR ICCOM—Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Candida Milone: Department of Engineering, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy
Luigi Calabrese: Department of Engineering, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-18

Abstract: This study aims to assess the stability of silica gel/polymer composites designed for open-cycle air dehumidification, humidification, and heat storage by employing a comprehensive set of characterization methods. To evaluate their resistance to various environmental factors, the materials were subjected to a series of aging treatments: (i) repeated adsorption/desorption cycles under representative operational conditions; (ii) post-drying at 30 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C; (iii) immersion in water for 30 days; (iv) exposure to a salt–fog environment for 30 days; and (v) accelerated aging by alternation between wet and dry cycles. Prolonged exposure to liquid water significantly reduced the material’s stability, resulting in an 83% reduction in tensile strength after 30 days of immersion. However, discontinuous exposure to liquid water at low drying temperatures did not critically affect the material’s mechanical properties during wet/dry cycles. Furthermore, post-drying (performed at 22 °C and 50% RH) allows the recovery of mechanical performance, with a tensile strength reached comparable to those of the unaged composites. Similarly, adsorption/desorption cycles in water vapor did not trigger degradation in the material, with its water vapor adsorption capacity remaining comparable to the unaged material after 100 cycles. The results confirm the reliability of these composite materials as to their potential uses in open-cycle dehumidification, humidification, and heat-storage applications.

Keywords: adsorbent sheets; aging; mechanical test; open-cycle adsorption process; stability verification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/5/1023/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/5/1023/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:5:p:1023-:d:1595498

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().