Tests on Material Compatibility of Phase Change Materials and Selected Plastics

Abstract

Practical applications of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) often require their encapsulation in other materials, such as metals or plastics. This raises the issue of compatibility between PCMs and encapsulating materials, which has still not been sufficiently addressed. The study presented here follows existing research and provides experimental evaluation of the suitability of selected PCMs for proposed integration in building structures. Two organic PCMs, two inorganic PCMs and three representative plastics (polypropylene (PP-H), high density polyethylene (PE-HD) and polyvinylchloride (PVC-U)) were selected for compatibility tests. Evaluation of the results is based on the mass variations of the plastic samples during the test period. Plastic samples were immersed in PCMs and subjected to periodic heating and cooling (for 16 weeks) in a small environmental chamber simulating real operational conditions. The results show that the organic PCMs have a greater ability to penetrate the PE-HD and PP-H compared with the inorganic PCMs. The penetration of all PCMs was most notable during the first four weeks of the experiment. Later it slowed down significantly. Overall, the mass changes in PE-HD and PP-H samples did not exceed 6.9% when immersed in organic PCMs and 1.8% in inorganic PCMs. PVC-U samples exhibited almost negligible (less than 0.1%) mass variation in all cases.

Coconut Oil as Bio-based PCM: Characteristics and Compatibility with Plastics

“…The idea of its application in the Central European climate is to replace heavy-weight structures with light-weight structures with enhanced heat storage capacity by integrated bio-based PCMs. The experiment is based on the gravimetric analysis which is generally recommended for the evaluation of the most suitable combination of PCMs and material for encapsulation [6]. Four types of plastics were selected for the test of their compatibility with bio-based PCM Coconut oil:…”

“…Generally, PCMs must be encapsulated and hermetically sealed because the leakage of storage medium and undesirable integration with building materials and indoor environment must be avoided. Encapsulation means shelling the PCMs with suitable coating material [6]. The material of encapsulation ensures heat transfer, thermal and mechanical stability.…”

A Review on Phase Change Materials for Sustainability Applications by Leveraging Machine Learning

“…Selecting materials that are chemically stable, corrosion-resistant, and can accommodate PCM volume changes is vital for the reliable and efficient operation of PCM-based systems. Proper compatibility ensures enhanced PCM reliability and addresses issues arising from interactions with additives and adjacent materials, preventing PCM degradation and ensuring system longevity [82].…”

“…Strategies like corrosion-resistant coatings and the exploration of innovative container materials, including composites and polymers, have improved resistance to chemical reactions and corrosion. Life cycle assessments and computational modeling have furthered the understanding of PCM behavior and system design, promoting more sustainable and efficient PCM solutions [82,86].…”

Analysis of application status and development prospect of environmental chambers: A review

“…Generally, medium-sized or full-sized environmental chambers are used to simulate the environment such as wind, sunshine and rain to study the thermodynamic properties of building basic materials, building envelopes and protective materials. [114][115][116][117][118] In addition, those environmental chambers with two adjacent cabins that can create indoor and outdoor environments at the same time are usually used to study the thermal and moisture properties of walls. Through the above studies, we found that thermal physical property parameters can be improved by studying the changing of the material composition, volume, production techniques, environmental parameters, etc., using environmental chambers.…”