Recovery Act - Innovative Phase Change Materials

The problem addressed by the proposed project is the poor flame performance of organic phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage (TES) and peak load shifting. This poor flame performance has been a major factor limiting the commercial adoption of organic PCMs for TES in building interiors. Eliminating or mitigating the potentially severe fire hazards associated with organic PCMs could enable a number of new, untapped opportunities for decentralized or distributed thermal energy storage within the interiors of lightweight buildings, thereby enabling peak load shifting and energy savings over and above that currently available. The proposed project addresses the problem by demonstrating the feasibility of producing flame-retardant (FR) PCMs that are suitable for use as TES materials in light-weight building systems. The approach to achieving this project objective involves the innovative adaptation of nontoxic and non-corrosive flame retardants to conventional organic phase change materials. Success in this project would result in the immediate benefit of availability of innovative, environmentally benign FR-PCMs with useful TES functionality. These innovative FR-PCMs would be suitable for use in a wide array of light-weight building interior products. The additional thermal energy storage enabled by these FR-PCMs would allow additional peak load shifting. This additional peak load shifting would result in additional energy savings and carbon dioxide emissions reduction, beyond that available from PCM-enhanced products now restricted to building envelope components. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Economic benefits from the commercial availability of these innovative FR-PCMs would result from their incorporation into a wide array of building interior components and furnishings. There is substantial US demand for envelope interior products and substantial US manufacturing capability/capacity to supply that demand. The market for these products includes both residential and commercial buildings, both new construction and retrofit (remodel). Use of these FR-PCMs and the products incorporating them should enable customers of these US manufacturers to design, live, and work in more sustainable buildings