EFFECT OF PREPARATION METHOD AND POLYMER IMPREGNATION ON FORM STABILITY OF EXPANDED PERLITE/PARAFFIN COMPOSITE
Izabela Marchewka, Ewa Downar-Zapolska, Waldemar Pichór
Quarterly No. 3, 2023 pages 153-157
DOI:
keywords: phase change materials, expanded perlite, perlite/paraffin composite, leakage prevention, polymer resin impregnation
abstract Interest in the use of phase change materials in construction materials is constantly increasing. However, the problem is to develop an effective method to introduce them. The challenge is to obtain shape-stabilized composites with a high heat storage capacity. In this paper, expanded perlite was proposed as a potential carrier of phase change material (paraffin). The effectiveness of two impregnation techniques, vacuum and immersion - was compared. Composites with various amounts of paraffin were prepared, and then their properties were characterized. It has been shown that the vacuum impregnation method can be used to obtain composites with better shape stability. Despite this, leakage was observed in the materials with high proportions of paraffin. It was been proven that, regardless of the impregnation method, the application of a thin polymer dispersion coating can effectively protect the composite against leakage of the phase change material. Thanks to the use of epoxy resin, a stable composite was obtained with a paraffin content of over 80% by weight. The high PCM content and no leakage effect during the phase transition make the presented composite show great potential for many different applications.