Silica fume/capric acid-stearic acid PCM included-cementitious composite for thermal controlling of buildings: Thermal energy storage and mechanical properties

In this paper, we produced new kind cement mortars with thermal energy storing/releasing properties, containing silica fume (SF)/capric acid-stearic acid eutectic mixture (CA-SA) as form-stable composite phase change material (FSC-PCM). The physicochemical compatibility between CA-SA eutectic PCM and SF was studied by fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicated that the FSC-PCM including 37 wt% CA-SA eutectic PCM has a phase change temperature and latent heat capacity of 23.28 degrees C and 65.6 J/g, respectively. Thermogravimetric (TG) measurements and thermal cycling examination demonstrated that FSC-PCM has great stability in terms of its chemical structure, thermal degradation and cycling reliability in LHTES properties. To achieve novel type cementations composite mortar, the FSC-PCM was replaced with ordinary cement mortar (OCM) in weight fraction of 10%, 15% and 20%. Thermoregulation performance test showed that the maximum indoor temperatures differences between the OCM and latent heat storage-cement mortar (LHS-CM) based rooms were found as 2.48 degrees C during the heating stage and 1.71 degrees C during the cooling stage. Mechanical test findings of the LHS-CMs showed acceptable mechanical properties and have suitable properties for regulation of indoor temperatures and reducing energy consumption in buildings. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, a novel kind of cement mortar was produced with thermal energy storing/releasing properties by incorporating CA-SA eutectic PCM and SF to form FSC-PCM. The FSC-PCM showed great stability in terms of thermal properties, chemical structure, and cycling reliability. Replacement of OCM with FSC-PCM in different weight fractions resulted in improved thermoregulation performance in indoor environments, demonstrating potential for energy savings in buildings.