A Review on the Effective Utilization of Organic Phase Change Materials for Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Dhivya Kamaraj, Sellamuthu Ramachandran Rajagopal Senthilkumar, Malathy Ramalingam, Ramkumar Vanaraj, Seong-Cheol Kim, Mayakrishnan Prabakaran () and Ick-Soo Kim ()
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Dhivya Kamaraj: Department of Civil Engineering, Sona College of Technology, Salem 636-005, India
Sellamuthu Ramachandran Rajagopal Senthilkumar: Department of Civil Engineering, Sona College of Technology, Salem 636-005, India
Malathy Ramalingam: Department of Civil Engineering, Sona College of Technology, Salem 636-005, India
Ramkumar Vanaraj: School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38451, Republic of Korea
Seong-Cheol Kim: School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38451, Republic of Korea
Mayakrishnan Prabakaran: Institute for Fiber Engineering and Science (IFES), Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research (ICCER), National University Corporation Shinshu University, 3-15-1, Tokida, Ueda 386-8567, Nagano, Japan
Ick-Soo Kim: Nano Fusion Technology Research Lab, Division of Frontier Fibers, Institute for Fiber Engineering (IFES), Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research (ICCER), Shinshu University, Ueda 386-8567, Nagano, Japan

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: Energy efficiency is critical for achieving building sustainability because it means that fewer resources are consumed. In this context, the advancement of phase-changing materials has attracted attention with regard to the integration and management of energy efficiency in construction projects. Buildings consume 40% of the global energy output annually, accounting for one-third of the global greenhouse gas emissions. For hot weather-prone construction, PCMs should have a melting temperature of 25–50 °C. For more than 30 years, researchers worldwide have experimented with PCMs at various temperatures, but few studies have been conducted in hot or harsh environments. According to recent studies, the amount of PCMs in construction materials has been limited to 20%, and exceeding this ratio was shown to significantly affect the compressive strength of concrete specimens. In this study, various phase-changing concrete materials were investigated to reduce the thermal energy consumption of buildings. This paper aims to provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art phase change materials for constructing thermal energy storage building materials. It also includes a brief review of the most recent developments in phase change technologies and their encapsulation techniques based on thermophysical properties. Implementing PCM technology in buildings will also maintain good indoor air quality. These materials are widely used in various real-time applications to significantly enhance thermal comfort in buildings.

Keywords: organic phase-changing material; thermal management; micro or macroencapsulation; sustainable environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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