# Characterization of Responsive Plasters for Passive Moisture and Temperature Control
## 3 Results and Discussion
Particular attention should be paid to the only limited deterioration of mechanical properties, which would limit the use of such materials in building practice since the deterioration of functional properties can be perceived as a fundamental drawback in the wider application of building materials with higher utility values. Figure 3: Pore size distribution of studied plasters. The increased thermal storage capacity, besides the moisture moderation, poses one of the main advantages as regards a reduction in energy consumption presented in this manuscript. Detailed phase change characteristics of particular plasters are revealed in detail in Table 3 (RP did not exhibit the phase change). To be specific, the incorporation of PCM admixture did not result in any significant difference in phase change temperature compared to the original material, which remained within the desired temperature range suitable for indoor temperature moderation. As shown, the amount of latent heat (Figure 5) applicable to the utilization of the excessive heat energy/release of stored energy was increased proportionally according to the dosage of PCM admixture. Namely, the plaster PSC1 revealed the capability to release/absorb 4.23 \(\pm\) 0.24-4.53 \(\pm\) 0.26 J/g according to the phase change cycle. The applied dosage of PCM composite corresponds with the data recorded for the pure PCM composite without any significant deterioration or any negative effect accompanying the plaster mixture preparation. The latent heat values were gradually increased up to 16.18 \(\pm\) 0.8 J/g/16.47 \(\pm\) 0.88 J/g, obtained for PSC5 plaster. As reported by other researchers, the achieved values are in the satisfactory range considering the material's application in building envelopes, as well as in the moderation of ambient thermal comfort. Compared to the work of [PERSON] et al. [47], who utilized diatomite as the skeleton material, slightly lowered values of the latent heat of the phase change were obtained. The performed analysis did not reveal any bimodal curve during the heating or cooling cycle, as observed by [PERSON] et al. [48], which may decrease the thermal energy storage performance and dimmish the overall benefits that accompany the passive moderation of building interiors. Figure 4: Mechanical performance of studied plasters. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Phase Change Temperature (\({}^{\circ}\)C)**} \\ \hline \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Heating**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Cooling**} \\ \hline
**Mixture** & **Onset** & **Endset** & **Onset** & **Endset** \\ \hline RP & - & - & - & - \\ PSC1 & 21.96 \(\pm\) 0.36 & 24.78 \(\pm\) 0.43 & 20.12 \(\pm\) 0.33 & 18.47 \(\pm\) 0.29 \\ PSC2 & 22.13 \(\pm\) 0.24 & 24.89 \(\pm\) 0.38 & 20.08 \(\pm\) 0.35 & 18.96 \(\pm\) 0.33 \\ PSC3 & 22.07 \(\pm\) 0.52 & 25.14 \(\pm\) 0.61 & 20.74 \(\pm\) 0.52 & 19.11 \(\pm\) 0.47 \\ PSC4 & 21.87 \(\pm\) 0.51 & 25.01 \(\pm\) 0.59 & 20.68 \(\pm\) 0.62 & 19.06 \(\pm\) 0.42 \\ PSC5 & 22.16 \(\pm\) 0.45 & 25.43 \(\pm\) 0.50 & 20.39 \(\pm\) 0.36 & 19.21 \(\pm\) 0.35 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Phase change interval and latent heat of studied plasters. As revealed in Table 4, the thermal conductivity of the studied samples exhibited very similar results in terms of both thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, considering the error of the measurement. While the reference plaster reached about 0.54 W/(mK), the thermal conductivity of the modified plaster was slightly decreased due to the higher porosity. To be specific, up to 0.48 W/(mK). The observed variations in thermal conductivity can be assigned also to the incorporation of the applied admixtures. In particular, SAPs in a semi-saturated state may increase the thermal conductivity. Similar findings were revealed also by other researchers, who highlighted the effect of the applied PCM medium [15; 49; 50].