Context and overall project objectives
The 3-year M-TES project “Metallic phase change material-composites for Thermal Energy Management” addresses energy saving issues by tackling heat recovery, storage and heat managing in processes which produce or re-use energy in form of heat.
The overall objective is to design new materials for Thermal Energy Storage and Thermal Energy Management that exploit the heat stored/released during the transition from solid to liquid and vice versa of a metal (the so-called Phase Change Material). Structural and PCM metals will be combined within a single body, obtaining the metallic phase change material-composites (m-PCMs). m-PCMs provide both functional (thermal) and structural (mechanical) properties. Suitable compositions will be investigated especially targeting the recycling of waste materials and avoiding in the use of critical raw materials. The processing of such m-PCM composite will be studied to achieve, at low manufacturing costs, suitable shapes and performances for future applications in energy and industrial fields.
Impact
The development of metallic phase change material-composites, m-PCMs, will provide new alternative solutions for the design and implementation of eco-friendly technologies for Thermal Energy Storage and Thermal Energy Management.