High Shear Mixer Research Articles

High-grip and hard-wearing graphene reinforced polyurethane coatings

Liquid polyurethane (PU) resins are used to form anti-slip surface coatings. In this work, we reinforce PU resin films with few-layer graphene (FLG) nanoparticles incorporated by high-shear mixing. This process gives excellent dispersion as evidenced by optical and X-ray tomography. The FLG does not appreciably change the tensile strength or Shore hardness of the PU, but we report modest increase of 10% in tear strength and Young's modulus, accompanied by a similar decrease in elongation to failure. However, significant improvement of over 100% is observed in the abrasion resistance. At the same time, we report a 25% increase in the coefficient of static friction and 200% increase in the coefficient of dynamic friction. These results, taken together, suggests that graphene can significantly improve the grip and durability of PU anti-slip coatings, without significantly affecting the other mechanical properties of the coating.

Natural fillers as reinforcement for closed-molded polyurethane foam plaques: Mechanical, morphological, and thermal properties

Natural fillers including cellulose, chitin, hazelnut, and eggshell are some of the most abundant bio-resources available for performance-cost-benefit applications. For this study, the aforementioned fibers were added to pure polyurethane foam and the properties were investigated based on mechanical (tensile, split tear, elongation, resilience, compression set, and hardness), thermal (thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry), and morphological analyses. These natural fibers were added in wt. % of 1 %, 2.5 %, and 5 % using high shear mixing rates. The closed molded polyurethane foam was prepared using an addition reaction of polyol and isocyanate. The resulting foam composites embedded with natural fibers had uniform color distribution, indicating good fiber dispersion. 1 % fiber loading showed improvements in tensile and resiliency, whereas split tear properties decreased. Moreover, morphological results indicated uniform foaming and dispersion of fillers. This study reinforces the possibility of a more sustainable future by replacing synthetic fillers with natural fillers in industrial applications, including in the automotive, textile, construction, and other leading consumer-based industries.

Investigation of gas-liquid mass transfer and power consumption characteristics in jet-flow high shear mixers

Experimental measurements were performed to systematically investigate the effects of operating conditions and structural configurations of the rotor-stator head on gas-liquid characteristics (volumetric mass transfer coefficient, gas hold-up and bubble dispersion) and power consumption of the jet-flow high shear mixer (HSM). Gas hold-up distribution, bubble dispersion and flow fields under different structural configurations were also analyzed and verified by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The results indicated that the gas-liquid mass transfer performance and power consumption in jet-flow HSM were significantly impacted by the structural parameters involving blade angle, blade arc and stator bottom opening. Increasing gas flow rate or reducing surface tension could enhance the gas-liquid mass transfer performance to some extent. In addition, gas hold-up distribution and bubble dispersion in the gas-liquid system were more uniform with the modified configuration of the rotor-stator head. The dimensionless correlations were established based on the experimental data to predict Pog and kLa in gas-liquid operation of the jet-flow HSM: Pog = 0.958⋅(sinθ)1.567(D/(Ds – Db))-0.164 with the standard deviation (σ) of 16%; ShL = 7.92 × 104⋅FlQ0.38Fr0.69Pog0.29 with σ of 17%. This work can provide useful guidance on scaleup design and optimization of the jet-flow HSM to intensify the transfer properties for gas-liquid operation systems.

Enhanced low-temperature CO/CO2 methanation performance of Ni/Al2O3 microspheres prepared by the spray drying method combined with high shear mixer-assisted coprecipitation

Ni/Al2O3 spherical catalysts were prepared by high shear mixer (HSM)-assisted coprecipitation (CP) and spray drying (SD) method for carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) methanation. The effect of HSM technology on low-temperature methanation performance was studied. Ni/Al2O3 (HSM-CP-SD) catalysts provide excellent performance such as CO conversion of 100% and CH4 selectivity of 90% at 300 °C; the CO2 conversion was 86.2% and CH4 selectivity was 95.3% at 350 °C. Even at 200 °C, the catalyst prepared by HSM still offers a CO conversion of 90% and CH4 selectivity of 82%, whereas the Ni/Al2O3 (CP-SD) has no activity. The high performance was attributed to the small Ni nanoparticles and high dispersion. The Ni/Al2O3 (HSM-CP-SD) catalysts exhibit micro-spherical morphology with a big pore size of 3.46 nm, stronger metal-support interactions, and CO adsorption capacity. The catalyst prepared by HSM shows potential application for CO/CO2 methanation, and HSM technology can optimize other heterogeneous catalytic reactions.

Rotational Molding of Poly(Lactic Acid)/Polyethylene Blends: Effects of the Mixing Strategy on the Physical and Mechanical Properties.

In this study, blends of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/linear medium density polyethylene (LMDPE) at different weight ratios were prepared by rotational molding. Two mixing strategies were used to evaluate the effect of phase dispersion on the physical and mechanical properties: (i) Dry-blending (DB) using a high shear mixer, and (ii) melt-blending (MB) using a twin-screw extruder. Thermal, morphological, and mechanical analyses were performed on the neat polymers and their blends. The thermal analysis was completed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and the blends prepared by MB had lower thermal stability than the ones prepared via DB due to some thermo-oxidative degradation through the double thermal process (extrusion and rotomolding). The morphology of the rotomolded parts showed that DB generated larger particle sizes (around 500 µm) compared to MB (around 5 µm) due to the shear and elongational stresses applied during extrusion. The tensile and flexural properties of the rotomolded parts combined the PLA stiffness with the LMDPE toughness independent of the blending technique. Neat PLA presented increments in tensile strength (54%) and flexural strength (111%) for DB compared with MB. A synergistic effect in impact strength was observed in blends with 12 and 25 wt. % of PLA prepared by DB.

Laboratory evaluation of cracking resistance for asphalt mixtures modified with nanoclay and nanocellulose

Cracking failure is one of the major distress modes associated with asphalt pavement. Asphalt modification has been identified as an effective method to improve pavement performance. In this study, nanomaterials including bentonite and halloysite nanoclays and nanocellulose are added to PG 64-28 straight run asphalt binder for modification. The potential of these nanomaterials for improving the cracking performance of asphalt pavements at intermediate pavement service temperatures is investigated. Rheological evaluation is conducted using a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), and the cracking resistance of the asphalt mixtures is determined through indirect tension asphalt cracking test (IDEAL-CT). A high-shear mixer is used to disperse the nanomaterial in the asphalt and the field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) analysis shows a relatively good dispersion of the nanomaterials. Furthermore, the results of the IDEAL-CT show an improvement in cracking test index by as much as 47%–114% through nanomaterial modification.

Effect of the stator tooth thickness on flow characteristics of high shear mixer

Due to the complexity of flow field in high shear mixer, it is very difficult to measure the flow field in full three-dimensional. CFD simulation has become a powerful means in mixer research. In this study, large eddy simulation (LES) was used to simulate the single-phase flow field of a pilot scale in-line high shear mixer with ultra-fine teeth. The research results show that with the increase of the stator tooth thickness, the turbulence intensity and eddy current intensity around the outermost stator increase slightly, and the shear rate area with a larger value change slightly. This means that the stator tooth thickness has a slight effect on the flow field. These results provide important guidance for the design and optimization of high shear mixer structure.

Hydrodynamic synthesis of Fe2O3@MoS2 0D/2D-nanocomposite material and its application as a catalyst in the glycolysis of polyethylene terephthalate.

We report a fast and simple synthesis of Fe2O3@MoS2 0D/2D-nanocomposite material using a Taylor–Couette flow reactor. A Taylor–Couette flow with high shear stress and mixing characteristics was used for fluid dynamic exfoliation of MoS2 and deposition of uniform Fe2O3 nanoparticles, resulting in a Fe2O3@MoS2 in the form of 0D/2D-nanocomposite material. Using Taylor–Couette flow reactor, we could synthesize Fe2O3@MoS2 0D/2D-nanocomposite material at a rate higher than 1000 mg h−1 which is much higher than previously reported production rate of 0.2–116.7 mg h−1. The synthesis of Fe2O3@MoS2 nanocomposite was achieved in an aqueous solution without thermal or organic solvent treatment. Exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets show an average thickness of 2.6 ± 2.3 nm (<6 layers) and a lateral size of 490 ± 494 nm. Fe2O3 nanoparticles have an average size of 7.4 ± 3.0 nm. Fe2O3 nanoparticles on chemically and thermally stable MoS2 nanosheets show catalytic activity in the glycolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). High conversion of PET (97%) and a high yield (90%) for bis(hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) were achieved in a reaction time of 3 h at the reaction temperature of 225 °C.

Evaluation of mechanical properties and cytotoxicity of maxillofacial silicone material after incorporation of zirconia nanopowder

Abstract Resilient polymeric materials such as silicone elastomers are currently used for maxillofacial prostheses construction but the strength of these materials and their clinical performance need to be optimized with the addition of reinforcing fillers. This study investigates the effect of zirconia nanopowder addition on tear strength, tensile strength, elongation at break, Shore A hardness, surface roughness and cytotoxicity of VST-50 maxillofacial silicone. Silicone base was mixed with different amounts (1%, 2% and 3%) of zirconia nanopowder using a vacuum mixer. Silicone without filler was used as control for comparison. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy were utilized to assess the efficiency of high-shear vacuum mixing as filler dispersion method and the surface topography, respectively. Both SEM and AFM images showed that the zirconia nanopowder were distributed fairly well within the polymer. Statistically, highly significant increase in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness with non-significant decrease in elongation at break and non-significant increase in surface roughness were seen with 1% and 2% groups. Whereas with 3% group, there was significant improvement in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness but there was significant undesirable decrease in elongation and increase in roughness. Cytotoxicity test revealed that the addition of zirconia nanopowder was nontoxic to Rat Embryonic Fibroblast (REF) cells and there was non-significant change in the cell viability of all study groups after 24- and 72-hours incubation periods. In conclusion, the addition of 2% by weight nano zirconia to VST-50 maxillofacial silicone could be beneficial in enhancing its performance.

Interplay between interfacial behaviour, cell structure and shear enables biphasic lipid extraction from whole diatom cells (Navicula sp.)

HypothesisBacillariophyceae (i.e., diatoms) are an important class of algae with potential use in the production of proteins and lipids including long-chain ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Biphasic extraction of microalgae lipids using water-immiscible solvents such as hexane, can avoid the excessive energy required to distil solvents from water, but generally requires energy-intensive rupture of the cells. The unique cell structure and surface chemistry of diatoms compared to other microalgae species might allow biphasic lipid extraction without prior cell rupture. ExperimentsThe kinetics of biphasic lipid extraction from intact Navicula sp. cells was investigated during low-shear and high-shear mixing, and with prior or simultaneous application of ultrasound (20 kHz at 0.57 W/mL). Dynamic interfacial tension measurements and electron microscopic analysis were used to investigate lipid extraction in relation to interfacial behaviour and cell structure. ResultsHigh yields (>80%) of intracellular lipids were extracted from intact cells over the course of hours upon low-shear contacting with hexane. The cells associated with and stabilised the hexane-water interface, allowing hexane to infiltrate pores in the frustule component of the cell walls and access the intracellular lipids. It was shown that mucilaginous extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) bound to the cell walls acted as a barrier to solvent penetration into the cells. This EPS could be removed by prior ultrasonication. Biphasic extraction was greatly accelerated by shear applied by rotor-stator mixing or ultrasound. High-shear could remove mucilaginous EPS from the cell surfaces to facilitate direct contact of the cell surface with hexane and produced smaller emulsion droplets with increased surface area. The combination of high-shear in the presence of hexane resulted in the in-situ rupture of the cells, which greatly accelerated lipid extraction and allowed high yields of neutral lipid (>95%) to be recovered from freshly harvested cells within less than 5 min. The study demonstrated the ability of shear to enable simultaneous cell rupture and lipid extraction from a diatom alga based on its cell structure and interfacial behaviour.

Nanoemulsion Drug Delivery System: A Review

Nano-emulsion dosage forms have nano-sized droplets of disperse phase and are kinetically stable dosage form. Nano-emulsions are included under the category of new drug delivery system containing emulsified water in oil/oil in water system having mean globule size ranges from 10 nm to 1000 nm. In the field of pharmacy, nano-emulsions play an essential role in the delivery of medication through various drug administration routes like parenteral, topical and oral route. Nano-emulsions are nano-sized emulsions which are used under high investigation as a drug carrier for enhancing the delivery of therapeutic agents. Nano-emulsions have enhanced functional properties as compared to standard emulsions. They are nowadays growing work for utilizing nano-sized particles in the research of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food products. Mainly, intrigue has been creating simultaneously with higher emulsification techniques and mechanisms of stabilization. Nano-emulsions are formulated by both methods like high energy emulsification or low energy emulsification methods. Rapid energy emulsification technique includes high shear mixing, high-pressure homogenization or ultrasonication. In contrast, low energy emulsification technique includes the merit of the physicochemical characteristics of the system, which exploits phase transitions to obtained nano-emulsion. This review article is an effort to summarize comparative aspects like introduction, types, advantages, disadvantages, components, factors affecting, methods of preparations, methods of analysis of nano-emulsion and applications of nano-emulsion.

A Radiopaque Nanoparticle-Based Ink Using PolyJet 3D Printing for Medical Applications.

The aim of this study was to develop a 3D printable radiopaque ink and successfully print a finished artifact. Radiopaque 3D printing would be hugely beneficial to improve the visibility of medical devices and implants, as well as allowing more realistic phantoms and calibration aids to be produced. Most 3D printing technologies are polymer based. Polymers are naturally radiolucent, allowing X-rays to pass through, showing up as faint dark gray regions on X-ray detectors, as for soft tissues. During this study, a 3D printable ultraviolet (UV) curable resin containing zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles was developed. 5 wt.% ZrO2 was dispersed in a base resin using a high-shear mixer. Particles remained in suspension for 6-8 h at room temperature, allowing time for 3D printing. A model of a hand including radiopaque bones and a test block demonstrating a range of internal radiopaque features were successfully 3D printed. Radiopacity was demonstrated in the 3D-printed models, and there was good dispersion of ZrO2 within the resin matrix. The impregnated resin remained UV curable and viscosity was not compromised. In this study, 3D-printed radiopaque features demonstrated clear radiopacity under X-ray and microcomputed tomography imaging.

Design and development of high shear mixers: Fundamentals, applications and recent progress

Dispersion of liquids/particles is a key important requirement in a variety of applications including coatings and paints, cosmetics, healthcare, food, and pharmaceutical processes. In all these industrial processes high intensity of energy is required to overcome the adhesion forces or increasing interfacial surface area per unit volume, which is achieved by high-pressure homogenizers, ultrasonic-assisted devices, and high shear mixers (HSMs). In this paper, HSMs are critically reviewed based on their design and development, and applications (such as dispersion of nanoparticles, emulsification, and mixing) in recent years. HSMs are comprised of rotational (rotor) and stationary (stator) parts with a small gap in between. It is found that there is a significant influence of stator geometry on the uniform size distribution as well as energy dissipation. Though there is extensive work on hydrodynamics and mixing in HSMs are available however, still there is no specific scale-up/down criterion is available for HSMs.

The potential use of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) plastic waste in asphalt binder

The current study aims to examine the potential use of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) plastic waste as a modifier for asphalt binder. Plastic bottles were collected, shredded, cleaned, melted, ground, then sieved. An asphalt binder with a penetration grade of 60/70 was used. The RPET plastic waste was blended with 60/70 penetration grade asphalt binder at five percentages (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 %, by weight of asphalt binder) using a high shear mixer. To study the physical and mechanical properties of RPET-modified asphalt binders, both traditional and Super pave tests were conducted. The test results showed that by incorporating RPET into asphalt binder, the ductility and penetration values decreased, whereas the softening point and viscosity of asphalt binder increased. Furthermore, the rutting performance of RPET-modified asphalt binder, as presented by the rutting parameter (G*/sinδ), was enhanced by increasing the amount of RPET plastic waste at all testing temperatures. The high-temperature performance grade of asphalt binder was raised by one grade (from 64°C to 70°C) by adding 15% and 20% of RPET plastic waste. On the other hand, the low-temperature performance of asphalt binder, as presented by creep stiffness and m-value, was negatively affected by adding RPET. The low-temperature performance grade of asphalt binder was dropped by one grade (from −22°C to −16°C) by adding RPET plastic waste at percentages of 15 % and 20 %. Moreover, the fatigue cracking performance of asphalt binder, as presented by the fatigue parameter (G*.sinδ), was slightly reduced by adding RPET to the asphalt binder but remained lower than the acceptable Super pave limit (≤ 5000 kPa).

Improvement of the Canola Oil Degumming Process by Applying a Megasonic Treatment

Crude canola oil from expeller pressing contains undesirable gums mainly composed of phospholipids, which must be removed to increase the oil’s shelf life. Degumming is carried out by high shear mixing of the oil with chemical reagents. This often requires multiple energy-consuming steps and is dependent on the phospholipid content of the oil being degummed. A set of process parameters at laboratory scale were selected to reproduce common industrial degumming processes (water, acid, and total degumming) and to compare with megasonic intervention before centrifugation. A factorial experimental design was applied to examine the effect of frequency (0, 0.4, 1, and 2 MHz; 33.6-122.4 kJ/kg), sonication treatment time (10, 20, and 30 min), and temperature (40, 60, and 80 °C) when applying megasonics during phosphoric acid degumming. Process parameters of 2 MHz at 40 °C for 30 min were the most efficient to reduce the residual phosphorus content from 27 mg/kg, on the non-megasonic water degummed oil, to 11 mg/kg, on the megasonic water degummed oil. Furthermore, the phosphoric acid and total degumming processes showed significant phosphorus reduction in the degummed oil when applying similar megasonic conditions (2 MHz at 40 °C for 20 min). The residual phosphorus with acid megasonic-assisted degumming was below the values achieved with a total degumming process without megasonics. This demonstrated that a megasonic intervention may eliminate the industrial alkalisation (neutralisation) while reducing the degumming processing time. A fatty acid composition analysis showed a noticeable reduction in the FAA and polar lipids with megasonic treatment after a total degumming process. However, there were no significant changes on both triacylglycerols (TAG), and diacylglycerols.

Melt granulation: A comparison of granules produced via high-shear mixing and twin-screw granulation.

Melt granules of DI-CAFOS® A12 and 15% (w/w) Kolliphor® P407 were manufactured in a twin-screw granulator (TSG) at five different conditions (screw speed and throughput varied) and compared to granules manufactured in a high-shear granulator (HSG) (rotation speed of chopper/impeller and granulation time varied). Evaluated granules characteristics were process yield, particle-size distribution (PSD), particle morphology, flowability, porosity, specific surface area (SSA), tabletability, compressibility and binder distribution. Compared to TSG, granules produced from HSG were more spherical in shape with lower porosity, smaller mean particle size and a superior flowability. Granules made by TSG showed a more elongated structure, higher porosity and larger mean particle size with smaller SSA instead. Concerning the compression process of granules, tablets made of TSG granules exhibited a higher tabletability compared to HSG granules, whereas the compressibility remained similar. In the case of the TSG granules, energy-dispersive-X-ray (EDX) measurements of the tablet surface indicated an enhanced homogenous binder distribution. Additionally, the EDX-analyses determined that more binder was available between the individual particles, resulting in a stronger bonding.

Achieving Dual-Functionality by Surface Coating of Zeolite with Stearic Acid: Combining Breathability and Odor Control Properties in Polyethylene/Zeolite Composite Films

This study was aimed at providing both water vapor permeability and hydrogen sulfide adsorption properties in polyethylene (PE) stretched films by using different amounts of natural zeolites. Firstly, zeolite was coated with 1%, 5%, and 7% stearic acid in a high shear mixer. Cup test, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and ash-oven analyses showed that a succesful coating was achieved. According to the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) gas adsorption and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) analyses, surface treatment with stearic acid didn’t change the particle size of the zeolite but lowered its hydrogen sulfide (H2S) adsorption capacity from 38.84±5.22 ppm/g sample (uncoated zeolite) to 17.26±2.54 ppm/g sample (7% coated zeolite]. PE/zeolite (80/20 and 60/40 w/w] blown films were generated by using uncoated and 1%, 5%, and 7% stearic acid coated zeolites and then stretched. It was observed that the stearic acid coating of zeolite greatly improved the compatibility between polyethylene and zeolite resulting in films without pinholes generation after stretching (especially the 7% coated zeolite containing PE/zeolite (60/40 w/w) film). The usage of coated zeolite also improved mechanical properties by increasing the tensile strength and decreasing the elongation at break values. It was revealed that a loading amount of 40 wt% coated zeolite was necessary for achieving a sufficient breathability (658±4 and 1040±3 g/m2/day for 5% and 7% coated zeolite containing films, respectively). Odor removal capacity of the PE/zeolite (60/40 w/w) films was improved by 165% and 244% for the 5% and 7% coated zeolite containing samples, respectively.

Investigating the Rheological Properties of Carbon Nanotubes/Polymer Composites Modified Asphalt.

The utilization of nanomaterials in the field of binder materials for road paving has attracted researchers’ attention in recent years. This study presented the performance properties of a binder modified with carbon nanotubes (CNT) and polyethylene (PE). The rheological properties, adhesion behavior, morphology, and storage stability of the modified asphalt were investigated. Experimental analysis indicated a positive effect of CNT/PE composites on the performance of the binder. The results indicate that the combined use of CNT and PE shows a significant enhancement on complex modulus, viscosity, and creep recovery of the binder at high temperatures and a great decrease in compliance, indicating great resistance to permanent deformation. Meanwhile, only using CNT to improve the high temperature performance of the binder is limited due to high shear mixing. CNT/PE modifiers enhance the cracking resistance at low temperatures and moisture damage resistance. The CNT/PE melt mixing composites endow asphalt with stronger cracking resistance, better resistance to moisture damage and workability. Asphalt with CNT/PE composites formed an even dispersion system. Notably, CNT bridges on the interface between PE phase and asphalt for the two modified asphalts, which reinforces the cohesion of interface. Asphalt with CNT/PE composites showed improved storage stability in comparison with PE modified asphalt.

Influence of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on the hydration products of ordinary Portland cement paste

We elucidate the mechanisms by which multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) influence the microstructure, fracture behavior, and hydration of cement paste. We disperse MWCNTs using a multi-step approach that involves high-energy pre-dispersion using ultrasonic energy followed by low-energy dispersion using un-hydrated cement particles. In turn, the low-energy dispersion step involves high-shear mixing and mechanical stirring. High-resolution environmental scanning electron microscopy of cement+0.2 wt% MWCNT, cement+0.5 wt% MWNCT, and of cement+1 wt% MWCNT show that MWCNTs bridge air voids, thereby refining the pore size and strengthening the C-S-H matrix. The fracture toughness increased by 9.38% with the addition of 0.2 wt% multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and by 14.06% with the addition of 0.5 wt% multi-walled carbon nanotubes and ligament bridging was the dominant toughening mechanism. Moreover, for all reinforcement levels, MWCNTs induced a conversion of low-density C-S-H into high-density C-S-H along with a drastic drop in the capillary porosity: adding 0.1–0.5 wt% MWCNT resulted in a 200% increase in the volume fraction of high-density C-S-H. Thus, our experiments show that MWCNT enhances the mechanical properties and transport properties by: (i) promoting high-density C-S-H formation, (ii) promoting calcium hydroxide formation, (iii) filling microscopic air voids, (iv) reducing the capillary porosity, (v) increasing the fraction of small gel pores (1.2–2 nm in size), and (vi) by bridging microcracks.

Study on Energy-Storing Building Materials Made of Paraffin/Montmorillonite Composites

Phase change materials (PCM) are promising in the application for reducing building energy consumptions and increasing thermal comfort. However, PCM have not been used as building materials extensively. A major technical hindrance for the applications of PCM in building materials is the packaging of PCM. The strategies for the packaging of PCM in building materials reported in the previous studies were mostly unsatisfactory because of the disadvantages such as complex proccesses, high cost or poor packing effectiveness, etc. This study presented a novel simple and low-cost way to make energy-saving building materials with PCM. In this study, a composite containing PCM was developed with montmorillonite (MMT) and paraffin via a simple and low-cost route. Through the selection of appropriate raw materials and with the vigorously mixing using a high-shear mixer, the PCM/MMT composites were prepared simply. The thermal properties of the PCM/MMT composites were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Based on the thermal properties and packing effectiveness the weight ratio of PCM: MMT = 5:4 was determined as the appropriate composition of the PCM/MMT composites. As compared with the PCM composites made of organically modified MMT, the PCM/MMT composites prepared in this study exhibited higher compression strength. The thermal conductive performance of the wallboards made of the PCM/MMT composites and the ordinary wallboards was simulated through numerical simulation. The experimental systems were also set up for testing the energy-saving characteristic of the building materials containing the PCM/MMT composites under both laboratorial conditions and natural outdoor conditions The numerical simulation as well as the experimental results indicated that the wallboard made of the PCM/MMT composite could effectively reduce the temperature fluctuation and would be favorable for keeping room in a comfortable temperature range. Hence the PCM/MMT composites might be promising for developing high-performance thermal regulating building materials with low-cost.