Scientists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) in Germany and the University of Leipzig have developed a new heat storage material. The material could improve the energy efficiency of buildings and has potential for passive cooling of photovoltaic modules and residential batteries. The new material is a shape-stable phase change material (ss-PCM) with five times the heat storage capacity of commercial phase change materials.
It is claimed that ss-PCM absorbs large amounts of heat by changing its physical state from solid to liquid, and then releases it as the material hardens.
"It can be used by the construction industry as large panels, which can be integrated into walls," said the MLU scientists. "They will absorb heat during the clear hours of the day and then release it again when the temperature drops."
According to the scholars, this ss-PCM was synthesized by a novel porous agent-assisted sol-gel process, which resulted in high mechanical stability.
All tested material configurations showed approximately 100% shape stability, long-term performance for approximately 2000 thermal cycles, and high chemical stability. The scientists said they achieved results regardless of how many porogens were used in the synthesis.
"Until now, this material has only been produced in small quantities in the laboratory. In the future, it could be combined with other steps to increase the energy efficiency of buildings, or passively cool photovoltaic systems and cells, thereby improving their efficiency."
