Thermal and durability performances of mortar and concrete containing phase change materials

Abstract

Thanks to their latent heat storage, phase change materials (PCMs) continue to attract the interest of many researchers and industrialists. Microencapsulated and macroencapsulated PCMs are generally added directly or immersed into conventional buildings materials to improve thermal inertia and provide a better comfort to users. However, many drawbacks related to PCMs were noticed when they are incorporated into cement-based materials. This paper summarizes previous research concerning the use of PCMs on the thermal, mechanical and durability properties of mortar and concrete. Despite the obvious reduction of the mechanical strength, PCMs are still found to be good candidates to enhance the overall thermal performances of cement-based materials. It is therefore suggested that future researches should focus more on mitigating the impact of PCMs on the mechanical strength in order to gain a wider application of PCMs in concrete building applications.