Multifunctional Phase Change Materials: Fundamentals, Properties and Applications (Woodhead Publishing Series in Composites Science and Engineering) - Softcover

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Kinga Pielichowska is an associate professor in the Department of Biomaterials and Composites at the AGH University of Science and Technology. In 2004 she obtained her PhD on polyether-based phase change materials for thermal energy storage. Her academic research interests are focused on polymer chemistry and technology as well as nanotechnology, particularly in the areas of phase transition and thermal degradation of polymeric materials studied by advanced thermal analysis methods, polymeric phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage and polymer (nano)composites for biomedical applications. She has (co)authored more than 90 publications in peer-reviewed international journals and several book chapters. She is an academic editor in ‘Advances in Polymer Technology’ (Wiley-Hindawi journal) and member of the Polish Society for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, and the Polish Society of Biomaterials.

Professor Krzysztof Pielichowski, head of Department of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers, Cracow University of Technology, is an expert in polymer (nano)technology and chemistry, particularly in the areas of polymer nanocomposites with engineering polymers and hybrid organic-inorganic materials containing POSS. Prof. Pielichowski is currently performing a research programme in the area of preparation of engineering polymer nanocomposites with improved thermal and mechanical properties for construction applications.

Von der hinteren Coverseite

In the sustainable and energy-saving economy, application of multifunctional phase change materials {PCMs) in various sectors plays an important and still growing role. New developments in phase change materials has led to their new features and functionalities that open-up opportunities for new application perspectives in e.g. medicine and solar cell technologies.

Multifunctional Phase Change Materials: Fundamentals, Properties and Applications presents recent developments on phase change materials (PCMs) that are used for the storage of thermal energy as sensible and latent heat. This class of materials that are the subject of intensive research, both fundamental and applied, has gained tremendous interest as they substantially contribute to the efficient use and conservation of waste heat and solar energy. Different groups of materials have been investigated as PCMs, including inorganic systems (salt and salt hydrates), organic, e.g. paraffins or fatty acids, polymers, and, finally, hybrid materials. Recent developments are focused on multifunctional PCMs that provide simultaneously useful functional features apart from the energy storage, such as desired optical or antibacterial properties. In Multifunctional Phase Change Materials: Fundamentals, Properties and Applications various synthesis approaches for functionalized materials, as well as specific interactions and self-organization effects in polymer/functionalized (nano)particle systems are presented in detail. The book reviews the current state of the art in multifunctional phase change materials for thermal energy storage applications by describing fundamentals of energy storage, main classes of PCMs, functionalization protocols, encapsulation methods and shape stabilization procedures. Flame retarding properties and stability of multifunctional phase change composite materials are also discussed as they are of crucial importance for practical applications in construction, textile and automotive sectors too. Future research trends are also outlined, in detail. The book’s concept is original and collects dispersed results enabling scientists working in the area of energy storage to understand better how multifunctional phase change materials’ structure and composition can influence and control the ultimate properties of these materials.

The book will be a valuable reference resource for academic and industrial researchers, materials scientists and engineers working on the development of multi-temperature systems for heat storage in the building, energy, textile, biomedical and electronic sectors.