POTENTIALS OF CLAY AS A PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL

Abstract

Clay has a porous structure, a large specific surface and the ability to adsorb well. Clay and its composites are mechanically and thermally stable. Due to their robust mechanical properties and high chemical and thermal stability, they are compatible with various processes such as mixing, extrusion, molding, etc. Phase change materials interact with clay through hydrogen bonding surface tension and van der Waals forces. Clay is an integral part of building materials, which allows easy installation of PCM/clay composites. PCM/clay composites are prepared by vacuum impregnation, melt intercalation, melt adsorption and their combination. Properties that characterize PCM/clay composites are phase change temperature, heat of fusion and freezing, cooling temperature, thermal reliability and stability, and thermal conductivity. An important property of PCM/clay composites is the PCM loading efficiency, which represents the mass fraction of PCM in the composite container, as well as the crystallinity of the encapsulated PCMs, which affects the latent storage and heat release efficiency.