Enhanced thermal properties and lab-scale thermal performance of polyethylene glycol/modified halloysite nanotube form-stable phase change material cement panel

Phase change material (PCM) with large thermal storage capacity and constant phase change temperature is one of the most promising materials for building energy saving. However, its leakage problem and poor thermal conductivity have largely hindered its large-scale application. This study, therefore, utilizes acid-modified halloysite to encapsulate PCM for preparing form-stable PCM with enhanced thermal storage capacity and systematically investigates the thermal conductivity enhancement on the thermal performance of FSPCM cement panel by a lab-scale test chamber. The study results indicated that the maximum PCM loading for the acidmodified halloysite-based FSPCM was 55 wt%, 10 wt% higher than that of the original one and the associated mechanism of acid-modification was in-depth discussed. The as-prepared FSPCM had comparatively high thermal storage capacity and appropriate phase change temperature. Although the addition of FSPCM may decrease the mechanical properties of cement panels, the prepared sample can still meet the standard for building application. More importantly, the thermal conductivity enhancement of the FSPCM cement panel had a different impact on its thermal performance for various models and the reasons for this difference were systematically investigated. The study results can provide insights into the preparation and building application of FSPCM.

Automated summary

Phase change material (PCM) with large thermal storage capacity and constant phase change temperature is a promising material for building energy saving. This study utilizes acid-modified halloysite to encapsulate PCM and investigates the thermal conductivity enhancement on the thermal performance of FSPCM cement panel. The results showed that the acid-modified FSPCM had high thermal storage capacity and appropriate phase change temperature.