Shape stabilized phase change material by pine wood absorption

Energy-efficient building is crucial for the sustainability of our earth. Phase change material has gained interest to be used in building materials due to its ability to absorb and release heat from and to the environment. The phase change material transforms between the solid and physical phase when the temperature changes. When in the liquid state, the phase change material cannot stand by itself. Thus, a shape-stabilizing mechanism is needed. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the pinecone particles as a shape stabilizer for capric acid as the phase change material. Leakage test and FT-IR were conducted to evaluate the shape stabilizing ability of pinecone and to confirm the presence of capric acid in the material mixture. Differential scanning electromagnetic analysis, DSC, was conducted to measure the heat absorption of the material. From the results, it was found that pine wood impregnated with a higher amount of phase change material gives better thermal absorption and release properties than pine wood with a lower amount of impregnated phase change material. Capric acid was impregnated into pinecone sawdust and placed on filter paper before being heated in an oven to estimate the amount of leakage. A significant peak was shown by a highly impregnated sample with a heat flow measurement of 25554 µW/mg at 24.64 ℃. However, leakage was found to be higher when a higher amount of impregnated phase change material was introduced into the wood. After all, the thermal analysis of this work shows the potential of pine wood as the base material for capric acid stabilization. It has a bright future to be used as an envelope for future energy-efficient buildings.