Multifunctional Phase Change Materials

Phase change materials hold thermal energy as both sensible and latent heat. Researchers pursue them in fundamental and applied work, because they help make better use of waste heat and solar energy and reduce losses.

The main families are inorganic salts and salt hydrates, organic compounds such as paraffins and fatty acids, polymers, and hybrid materials. Newer work focuses on multifunctional versions that do more than store energy, for example by offering optical or antibacterial behavior. The book explains how such functionalized materials are synthesized and examines the interactions and self-organization that occur in systems combining polymers with functionalized nanoparticles.

The volume surveys the current state of multifunctional phase change materials for thermal energy storage. It covers the basics of energy storage, the principal classes of these materials, methods for functionalizing them, encapsulation techniques, and procedures for shape stabilization.