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. 2020 Apr 28;13(9):2055.
doi: 10.3390/ma13092055.

Thermal Performance of Mortars Based on Different Binders and Containing a Novel Sustainable Phase Change Material (PCM)

Antonella Sarcinella  1 , José Luìs Barroso De Aguiar  2 , Mariateresa Lettieri  3 , Sandra Cunha  4 , Mariaenrica Frigione  1
Affiliations

Thermal Performance of Mortars Based on Different Binders and Containing a Novel Sustainable Phase Change Material (PCM)

Antonella Sarcinella et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

Increasing concerns about climate change and global warming bring about technical steps for the development of several energy-efficient technologies. Since the building sector is one of the largest energy users for cooling and heating necessities, the incorporation of a proper energy-efficient material into the building envelopes could be an interesting solution for saving energy. Phase change material (PCM)-based thermal energy storage (TES) seems suitable to provide efficient energy redistribution. This is possible because the PCM is able to store and release its latent heat during the phase change processes that occurs according to the environmental temperature. The purpose of this paper was the characterization of the thermal properties of a composite PCM (i.e., Lecce stone/poly-ethylene glycol, previously developed) incorporated into mortar compositions based on different binders (i.e., hydraulic lime and cement). The study was carried out using an experimental set up through which it was possible to simulate the different seasons of the years. It was observed that the addition of PCM in mortars leads to a decrease of the maximum temperatures and increase of the minimum temperatures. Furthermore, the results shown a reduction of the heating and cooling needs, thus confirming the capability of this material to save energy.

Keywords: Mortars; cement; hydraulic lime; phase change material (PCM); sustainable materials for buildings; thermal energy storage (TES); thermal properties.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Set up to investigate the thermal performance of the different mortars: (a) six faces to build a small-scale test cell; (b) mortar layer of 1 cm; (c) small-scale test cell with a thermocouple in the center; (d) small-scale test cells placed inside a climatic chamber with temperature control.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of (a) hydraulic lime-based mortar without phase change material (PCM) (HL800_LS (Lecce stone)); (b) hydraulic lime-based mortar with PCM (HL800_LS/PEG (poly(ethylene glycol))); (c) cement-based mortar without PCM (C800_LS) and (d) cement-based mortar with PCM (C800_LS/PEG).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Porosimetric features by image analysis of the SEM micrographs in Figure 2: (a) percentage of pores as a function of their diameter; (b) number of pores per classes of pore-size.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Temperature programs used to simulate the different season of the year.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Thermal behavior in summer of the developed mortars: (a) hydraulic lime-based mortar and (b) cement-based mortar. The thermal comfort zone is between 20–25 °C.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Thermal behavior in spring of developed mortars: (a) hydraulic lime-based mortar and (b) cement-based mortar. The thermal comfort zone is between 20–25 °C.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Thermal behavior in autumn of developed mortars: (a) hydraulic lime-based mortar and (b) cement-based mortar. The thermal comfort zone is between 20–25 °C.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Thermal gradient between unmodified and PCM-based mortars: (a) hydraulic lime-based mortars and (b) cement-based mortars.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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