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Application of Nano-enhanced PCMs in Buildings

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Nano Enhanced Phase Change Materials

Part of the book series: Materials Horizons: From Nature to Nanomaterials ((MHFNN))

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Abstract

The implementation of effective thermal energy storage (TES) systems provides an opportunity to improve building energy efficiency and thereby reduce commercial and residential energy consumption. However, in recent years, researchers have concentrated their efforts on the adoption of latent heat storage materials, which, if properly implemented, might have a great potential for reducing energy demand without requiring the area that sensible storage materials occupy. Nano-enhanced phase change materials (NEPCMs) are gaining popularity as a way to overcome one of the main challenges, i.e., poor thermal conductivity (kT) to phase change material (PCM) adoption in the building sector. This chapter provides a discussion on generic challenges with the synthesis and applications of this new class of materials in buildings for better thermal management and energy efficiency. A comprehensive outline of current research on NEPCM-integrated buildings and their applications is presented. Along with a critical examination of the aforementioned aspects, the present study emphasizes the future scope of research in this paradigm. This study also provides a brief overview of different integration techniques such as direct impregnation, immersion through the material's pores, encapsulation, and shape stabilizing techniques of PCM/NEPCM in the construction of buildings. The study revealed that the melting and solidification rates of this new class of material are higher than those of pure PCM. More study is required to comprehend the fundamental mechanisms that enhance PCM's thermal conductivity through the dispersion of nanomaterials, as well as to look into how these mechanisms affect the performance of buildings. This study is intended to add to our understanding of the fundamentals and potential applications of NEPCMs in the building sector.

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Abbreviations

HVAC:

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning

CNF:

Carbon nanofiber

TES:

Thermal energy storage

MWCNT:

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes

CNT:

Carbon nanotube

k T :

Thermal conductivity

NEPCM:

Nano-enhanced phase change material

Ф w :

Weight fraction of nanomaterial

Ф v :

Volume fraction of nanomaterial

PCM:

Phase change material

d n :

Diameter of nanomaterial

T p :

Phase change temperature

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, Punjab, 144008, India

    Praveen Kumar Tyagi & Rajan Kumar

  2. Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering Department, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

    Zafar Said

  3. Department of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, Lebanese American University (LAU), Byblos, Lebanon

    Zafar Said

  4. U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan

    Zafar Said

  5. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amity School of Engineering and Technology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Pushpendra Kumar Singh Rathore

Authors
  1. Praveen Kumar Tyagi
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  2. Rajan Kumar
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  3. Zafar Said
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  4. Pushpendra Kumar Singh Rathore
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Rajan Kumar or Zafar Said .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

    Zafar Said

  2. 3Research Centre for Nano-Materials and Energy Technology (RCNMET), Sunway University, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

    Adarsh Kumar Pandey

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Tyagi, P.K., Kumar, R., Said, Z., Rathore, P.K.S. (2023). Application of Nano-enhanced PCMs in Buildings. In: Said, Z., Pandey, A.K. (eds) Nano Enhanced Phase Change Materials. Materials Horizons: From Nature to Nanomaterials. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-5475-9_8

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