Phase-change material

A phase-change material (PCM) is a substance which releases/absorbs sufficient energy at phase transition to provide useful heat or cooling. Generally the transition will be from one of the first two fundamental states of matter - solid and liquid - to the other. The phase transition may also be between non-classical states of matter, such as the conformity of crystals, where the material goes from conforming to one crystalline structure to conforming to another, which may be a higher or lower energy state.
The energy released/absorbed by phase transition from solid to liquid, or vice versa, the heat of fusion is generally much higher than the sensible heat. Ice, for example, requires 333.55 J/g to melt, but then water will rise one degree further with the addition of just 4.18 J/g. Water/ice is therefore a very useful phase change material and has been used to store winter cold to cool buildings in summer since at least the time of the Achaemenid Empire.
By melting and solidifying at the phase-change temperature (PCT), a PCM is capable of storing and releasing large amounts of energy compared to sensible heat storage. Heat is absorbed or released when the material changes from solid to liquid and vice versa or when the internal structure of the material changes; PCMs are accordingly referred to as latent heat storage (LHS) materials.
There are two principal classes of phase-change material: organic (carbon-containing) materials derived either from petroleum, from plants or from animals; and salt hydrates, which generally either use natural salts from the sea or from mineral deposits or are by-products of other processes. A third class is solid to solid phase change.
PCMs are used in many different commercial applications where energy storage and/or stable temperatures are required, including, among others, heating pads, cooling for telephone switching boxes, and clothing.
By far the biggest potential market is for building heating and cooling. In this application area, PCMs hold potential in light of the progressive reduction in the cost of renewable electricity, coupled with the intermittent nature of such electricity. This can result in a misfit between peak demand and availability of supply. In North America, China, Japan, Australia, Southern Europe and other developed countries with hot summers, peak supply is at midday while peak demand is from around 17:00 to 20:00. This creates opportunities for thermal storage media.
Solid-liquid phase-change materials are usually encapsulated for installation in the end application, to be contained in the liquid state. In some applications, especially when incorporation to textiles is required, phase change materials are micro-encapsulated. Micro-encapsulation allows the material to remain solid, in the form of small bubbles, when the PCM core has melted.
Latent heat storage can be achieved through changes in the state of matter from liquid→solid, solid→liquid, solid→gas and liquid→gas. However, only solid→liquid and liquid→solid phase changes are practical for PCMs. Although liquid–gas transitions have a higher heat of transformation than solid–liquid transitions, liquid→gas phase changes are impractical for thermal storage because large volumes or high pressures are required to store the materials in their gas phase. Solid–solid phase changes are typically very slow and have a relatively low heat of transformation.
Initially, solid–liquid PCMs behave like sensible heat storage (SHS) materials; their temperature rises as they absorb heat. When PCMs reach their phase change temperature (their melting point) they absorb large amounts of heat at an almost constant temperature until all the material is melted. When the ambient temperature around a liquid material falls, the PCM solidifies, releasing its stored latent heat. A large number of PCMs are available in any required temperature range from −5 up to 190 °C. Within the human comfort range between 20 and 30 °C, some PCMs are very effective, storing over 200 kJ/kg of latent heat, as against a specific heat capacity of around one kJ/(kg*°C) for masonry. The storage density can therefore be 20 times greater than masonry per kg if a temperature swing of 10 °C is allowed. However, since the mass of the masonry is far higher than that of PCM this specific (per mass) heat capacity is somewhat offset. A masonry wall might have a mass of 200 kg/m, so to double the heat capacity one would require additional 10 kg/m of PCM.
Hydrocarbons, primarily paraffins (CnH2n+2) and lipids but also sugar alcohols.
Salt hydrates (MxNy·nH2O)
Many natural building materials are hygroscopic, that is they can absorb (water condenses) and release water (water evaporates). The process is thus:
While this process liberates a small quantity of energy, large surfaces area allows significant (1–2 °C) heating or cooling in buildings. The corresponding materials are wool insulation and earth/clay render finishes.
A specialized group of PCMs that undergo a solid/solid phase transition with the associated absorption and release of large amounts of heat. These materials change their crystalline structure from one lattice configuration to another at a fixed and well-defined temperature, and the transformation can involve latent heats comparable to the most effective solid/liquid PCMs. Such materials are useful because, unlike solid/liquid PCMs, they do not require nucleation to prevent supercooling. Additionally, because it is a solid/solid phase change, there is no visible change in the appearance of the PCM, and there are no problems associated with handling liquids, e.g. containment, potential leakage, etc. Currently the temperature range of solid-solid PCM solutions spans from -50 °C (-58 °F) up to +175 °C (347 °F). Therefore, these materials have emerged as promising alternatives to traditional solid/liquid PCMs due to their ability to undergo phase transitions without liquefaction. This property eliminates the risk of leakage and enhances material stability, For example, SSPCMs include polymer-based materials such as polyethylene glycol and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In addition, SSPCMs have been explored for use in smart textiles, electronics cooling systems, and thermally adaptive building materials. Research efforts continue to optimize their thermal storage density and improve long-term cycling stability, supporting broader commercial applications. In particular, integrating SSPCMs with nanostructured material and composite frameworks is being investigated to enhance their thermal conductivity and phase transition kinetics.
The phase change material should possess the following thermodynamic properties:
Kinetic properties
Chemical properties
Economic properties
Key thermophysical properties of phase-change materials include: Melting point (Tm), Heat of fusion (ΔHfus), Specific heat (cp) (of solid and liquid phase), Density (ρ) (of solid and liquid phase) and thermal conductivity. The thermal properties of representative PCMs are shown below. Values such as volume change and volumetric heat capacity can be calculated there from. One major challenge is the inherently low thermal conductivity of many PCMs, which limits their heat transfer efficiency. To address this problem, high thermal conductivity additives such as carbon nanotube, graphene, and metallic nanoparticles have been introduced to enhance their performance. Another critical issue is supercooling, where the PCM remains in a liquid state below its freezing point. Solutions such as nucleating agents and encapsulation techniques have been developed to mitigate this effect. Additionally, volume expansion during phase transitions can impact material stability, necessitating advanced structural designs and containment strategies. Recent studies have also explored nano-enhanced PCMs and composite structures to further optimize thermal response times and cycling stability. This nano-enhanced PCMs, particularly those incorporating metal foams, have been shown to enhance thermal conductivity, improving their efficiency in thermal management applications.
The most commonly used PCMs are salt hydrates, fatty acids and esters, and various paraffins (such as octadecane). Recently also ionic liquids were investigated as novel PCMs.
As most of the organic solutions are water-free, they can be exposed to air, but all salt based PCM solutions must be encapsulated to prevent water evaporation or uptake. Both types offer certain advantages and disadvantages and if they are correctly applied some of the disadvantages becomes an advantage for certain applications.
They have been used since the late 19th century as a medium for thermal storage applications. They have been used in such diverse applications as refrigerated transportation for rail and road applications and their physical properties are, therefore, well known.
Unlike the ice storage system, however, the PCM systems can be used with any conventional water chiller both for a new or alternatively retrofit application. The positive temperature phase change allows centrifugal and absorption chillers as well as the conventional reciprocating and screw chiller systems or even lower ambient conditions utilizing a cooling tower or dry cooler for charging the TES system.
The temperature range offered by the PCM technology provides a new horizon for the building services and refrigeration engineers regarding medium and high temperature energy storage applications. The scope of this thermal energy application is wide-ranging of solar heating, hot water, heating rejection (i.e., cooling tower), and dry cooler circuitry thermal energy storage applications.
Since PCMs transform between solid–liquid in thermal cycling, encapsulation naturally became the obvious storage choice.
As phase change materials perform best in small containers, therefore they are usually divided in cells. The cells are shallow to reduce static head – based on the principle of shallow container geometry. The packaging material should conduct heat well; and it should be durable enough to withstand frequent changes in the storage material's volume as phase changes occur. It should also restrict the passage of water through the walls, so the materials will not dry out (or water-out, if the material is hygroscopic). Packaging must also resist leakage and corrosion. Common packaging materials showing chemical compatibility with room temperature PCMs include stainless steel, polypropylene, and polyolefin.
Nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes, graphite, graphene, metal and metal oxide can be dispersed in PCM. It is worth noting that inclusion of nanoparticles will not only alter thermal conductivity characteristic of PCM but also other characteristics as well, including latent heat capacity, sub-cooling, phase change temperature and its duration, density and viscosity. The new group of PCMs called NePCM. NePCMs can be added to metal foams to build even higher thermal conductive combination.
Thermal composites is a term given to combinations of phase change materials (PCMs) and other (usually solid) structures. A simple example is a copper mesh immersed in paraffin wax. The copper mesh within paraffin wax can be considered a composite material, dubbed a thermal composite. Such hybrid materials are created to achieve specific overall or bulk properties (an example being the encapsulation of paraffin into distinct silicon dioxide nanospheres for increased surface area-to-volume ratio and, thus, higher heat transfer speeds ).
Thermal conductivity is a common property targeted for maximization by creating thermal composites. In this case, the basic idea is to increase thermal conductivity by adding a highly conducting solid (such as the copper mesh or graphite) into the relatively low-conducting PCM, thus increasing overall or bulk (thermal) conductivity. If the PCM is required to flow, the solid must be porous, such as a mesh.
Solid composites such as fiberglass or kevlar prepreg for the aerospace industry usually refer to a fiber (the kevlar or the glass) and a matrix (the glue, which solidifies to hold fibers and provide compressive strength). A thermal composite is not so clearly defined but could similarly refer to a matrix (solid) and the PCM, which is of course usually liquid and/or solid depending on conditions. They are also meant to discover minor elements in the earth.
PTCPCESMs are composite phase change materials with photo-thermal materials. They have wide applications in various industries, owing to their high thermal conductivity, photo-thermal conversion efficiency, latent heat storage capacity, physicochemical stability, and energy saving effect.
PTCPCESMs mainly consist of functional carrier materials and organic PCMs. During the solid-liquid phase transition, organic PCMs can absorb and release a large amount of latent heat. Meanwhile, functional carrier materials not only enhance the stability and efficiency of photo-thermal conversion but also introduce various energy conversion functions. The photo-thermal conversion is related to the band structure and other electric properties of photo-thermal materials, contributing to different absorbing solar spectrum. This is achieved using materials like carbon-based nanostructures (e.g., graphene, CNTs), plasmonic nanoparticles (e.g., Au, Ag), and semiconductors (e.g., TiO2, MoS2). Common PCMs include organic materials (paraffins, fatty acids) and inorganic materials (salt hydrates, metal alloys).
Researchers have been working on high-efficiency PTCPCESMs. A combined form of difunctional phase change composites integrated with phase change materials and photothermal conversion materials can reach 51.25% photothermal conversion efficiency and show no leakage under 60 °C for 24 h. Some researchers synthesized a novel form-stable solar-thermal conversion and storage materials by incorporating amino-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes into a polyethyleneglycol based polyurethane PCM, and reached a solar thermal conversion and storage efficiency of 89.3%.
High-performance PCM development
Recent research has focused on enhancing the efficiency and stability of PCMs through material innovations. New organic-inorganic composite PCMs, such as paraffin-based microencapsulated systems and salt hydrates with enhanced thermal conductivity, have demonstrated improved energy storage capabilities. In addition, metal-organic frameworks(MOFs) has investigated as a potential PCM candidates due to their tunable phase transition properties and high thermal storage density.
Applications in energy storage and management
PCMs have been increasingly utilized in energy storage systems, particularly in renewable energy applications. One promising approach is the integrations of PCMs into thermal energy storage units for solar and wind power systems. By mitigating fluctuations in power generation, these materials enhance reliability of renewable energy sources. Furthermore, the incorporations of PCMs into lithium-ion battery systems has shown potential in managing thermal runaway, thereby improving battery safety and longevity. Additionally PCM-enhanced smart windows and walls have been developed to regulate indoor temperatures and reduce building energy consumption by up to 30%. PCM-integrated heat pump systems have also demonstrated significant savings in heating and cooling applications.
Challenges and future prospects
Despite their advantages, PCMs face several challenges that must be addressed for widespread implementation. One major limitations is their lower thermal conductivity, which can reduce heat transfer efficiency. To address the above challenge, efforts are underway to incorporate high-thermal-conductivity fillers such as graphene and carbon nanotubes. Another concern is long term stability of PCMs, as repeated phase transitions can lead to material degradation and phase separation. Encapsulation techniques and novel stabilizing additives are being developed to overcome these issues. Looking forward, advancements in nano-enhanced PCMs and hybrid materials are expected to further expand their applications, making them integral to future energy-efficient technologies.
Applications of phase change materials include, but are not limited to:
Some phase change materials are suspended in water, and are relatively nontoxic. Others are hydrocarbons or other flammable materials, or are toxic. As such, PCMs must be selected and applied very carefully, in accordance with fire and building codes and sound engineering practices. Because of the increased fire risk, flamespread, smoke, potential for explosion when held in containers, and liability, it may be wise not to use flammable PCMs within residential or other regularly occupied buildings. Phase change materials are also being used in thermal regulation of electronics.