Phase change materials incorporated into geopolymer concrete for enhancing energy efficiency and sustainability of buildings: A review

Abstract

To reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030, applying sustainable and energy-efficient materials like geopolymer concrete containing Phase change materials (PCMs) for infrastructure development is necessary. This study reviews the geopolymer mortar and concrete containing PCMs, including their characterizations such as workability, density, compressive strength, heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and their effect on energy consumption in buildings. Existing literature reveals that using geopolymers instead of OPC can reduce thermal conductivity and power consumption. The latent heat and melting temperature of investigated PCMs were in the range of 96.1–230 J/g and 21.9–33.8 °C, respectively. Although microencapsulated PCMs (MPCMs) such as E-EVA and St-DVB have slightly reduced the compressive strength of geopolymers, they still show a high strength compared to typical strength classes in normal concrete. Also, the workability of geopolymer concrete can remain in the acceptable ranges when the PCMs are incorporated in the low percentages. Furthermore, a considerable increase in the heat capacity is reported at the PCM’s melting temperature of geopolymer mortars and concretes, which can be deployed to conserve energy in the buildings.