Applications of Phase Change Materials (PCM) in Concrete Structures: Latest Advances and Prospects

Dear Colleagues, 

Nowadays, the building sector is one of the most dominant energy consumers with a 30% total share of global energy consumption; in addition, it is responsible for nearly 40% of total direct and indirect CO₂ emissions. It is critical to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings to mitigate global warming. In the last decade, advances in thermal energy storage (TES) techniques using phase change material (PCM) have gained much attention among researchers, mainly to reduce energy consumption and to promote the use of renewable energy sources such as solar energy. PCMs with high latent heat, stable chemical properties and that are non-toxic in nature have great potential in energy storage, and their combination with concrete can play a significant role in improving the energy efficiency of buildings by incorporating PCMs into the passive latent heat thermal storage systems of building's walls, ceilings, floors or other structural elements. Here, “passive” means that the phase-change processes occur without resorting to mechanical equipment. PCM technology is one of the most promising technologies available for the development of high performance and energy-efficient buildings and, therefore, considered to be one of the most effective and ongoing fields of research. 

This Special Issue of the journal Applied Sciences, on the topic of “Applications of Phase Change Materials in Concrete Structures: Latest Advances and Prospects”, aims to cover recent advances in the development and application of phase change materials in concrete structures and deliberate over what can best be done to leverage the opportunities. 

Proposed Topics: 

This Special Issue proposes (but is not limited to) the following topics:

• PCM composites;
• PCM integration methods;
• PCM-based thermal energy storage systems;
• PCM application in cement-based materials;
• PCM energy geostructures;
• Reliability of PCM performance;
• Simulation and modeling;
• Economic and environmental evaluation. 

Prof. Dr. Patrick Tang
Prof. Dr. Hongzhi Cui
Guest Editors

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