Title:
Phase-Change Material for Enhancing Frost Resistance of Cementitious Materials
Author(s):
Zhiyong Liu, Jinyang Jiang, Yang Li, Yuncheng Wang, Xi Jin, and Zeyu Lu
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
122
Issue:
4
Appears on pages(s):
67-76
Keywords:
capsule phase-change material (CPCM); cement-based materials; expanded graphite; frost resistance; n-tetradecane
DOI:
10.14359/51746807
Date:
7/1/2025
Abstract:
A capsule phase-change material (CPCM) was synthesizedusing n-tetradecane as the core, expanded graphite as the shell,and ethyl cellulose as the coating material through a controlledassembly process. The results demonstrate that the infiltration ofn-tetradecane significantly enhances the density of the expandedgraphite, while the ethyl cellulose coating effectively preventsthe desorption and leakage of the liquid phase-change materialduring phase transitions. As a result, the CPCM exhibits a compactstructure, chemical stability, and excellent thermal stability. Theincorporation of this CPCM into cement-based materials endowsthe material with an autonomous heat-release capability attemperatures below 5°C. When the CPCM content reaches 20%,the thermal conductivity of the cementitious matrix increases by24.66%. Moreover, the CPCM significantly improves the freezing- and-thawing resistance of the cement-based materials, reducingthe compressive strength loss by 96% and the flexural strengthloss by 65% after freezing-and-thawing cycles. This CPCM fundamentally enhances the frost resistance of cement-based materials, addressing the issue of freezing-and-thawing damage in concrete structures in cold regions.
Related References:
1. Besheli, A. E.; Samimi, K.; Nejad, F. M.; and Darivshan, E., “Improving Concrete Pavement Performance in Relation to Combined Effects of Freeze-Thaw Cycles and De-Icing Salt,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 277, 2021, p. 122273. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.122273
2. Kessler, S.; Thiel, C.; Grosse, C. U.; and Gehlen, C., “Effect of Freeze-Thaw Damage on Chloride Ingress Into Concrete,” Materials and Structures, V. 50, No. 2, 2017, pp. 1-13. doi: 10.1617/s11527-016-0984-4
3. Chatterji, S., “Freezing of Air-Entrained Cement-Based Materials and Specific Actions of Air-Entraining Agents,” Cement and Concrete Composites, V. 25, No. 7, 2003, pp. 759-765. doi: 10.1016/S0958-9465(02)00099-9
4. Xu, Y.; Yuan, Q.; Dai, X.; and Xiang, G., “Improving the Freeze-Thaw Resistance of Mortar by a Combined use of Superabsorbent Polymer and Air Entraining Agent,” Journal of Building Engineering, V. 52, 2022, p. 104471. doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2022.104471
5. Mardani, A., and Emin, A., “Utilization of High-Range Water Reducing Admixture Having Air-Entraining Agents in Cementitious Systems,” Journal of Building Engineering, V. 64, 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2022.105565
6. Wang, D.; Zhou, X.; Meng, Y.; and Chen, Z., “Durability of Concrete Containing Fly Ash and Silica Fume Against Combined Freezing-Thawing and Sulfate Attack,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 147, 2017, pp. 398-406. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.04.172
7. Jin, S.; Zheng, G.; and Yu, J., “A Micro Freeze-Thaw Damage Model of Concrete with Fractal Dimension,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 257, 2020, p. 119434. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.119434
8. Chen, B.; Chen, J.; Chen, X.; Qiang, S.; and Zheng, Y., “Experimental Study on Compressive Strength and Frost Resistance of Steam Cured Concrete with Mineral Admixtures,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 325, 2022, p. 126725. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.126725
9. Dong, F.; Wang, H.; Yu, J.; Liu, K.; Guo, Z.; Duan, X.; and Qiong, X., “Effect of Freeze-Thaw Cycling on Mechanical Properties of Polyethylene Fiber and Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 295, 2021, p. 123427. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.123427
10. Affan, M., and Ali, M., “Experimental Investigation on Mechanical Properties of Jute Fiber Reinforced Concrete under Freeze-Thaw Conditions for Pavement Applications,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 323, 2022, p. 126599. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.126599
11. Meshgin, P., and Xi, Y., “Effect of Phase-Change Materials on Properties of Concrete,” ACI Materials Journal, V. 109, No. 1, Jan.-Feb. 2012, pp. 71-80.
13. Pan, X.; Shi, Z.; Shi, C.; Ling, T.-C.; and Li, N., “A Review on Surface Treatment for Concrete–Part 2: Performance,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 133, 2017, pp. 81-90. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.11.128
14. Song, J.; Zhao, D.; Han, Z.; Xu, W.; Lu, Y.; Liu, X.; Liu, B.; Carmalt, C. J.; Deng, X.; and Parkin, I. P., “Super-Robust Superhydrophobic Concrete,” Journal of Materials Chemistry. A, Materials for Energy and Sustainability, V. 5, No. 28, 2017, pp. 14542-14550. doi: 10.1039/C7TA03526H
15. Guo, T., and Weng, X., “Evaluation of the Freeze-Thaw Durability of Surface-Treated Airport Pavement Concrete under Adverse Conditions,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 206, 2019, pp. 519-530. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.02.085
16. Ling, T. C., and Poon, C. S., “Use of Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage in Concrete: An Overview,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 46, 2013, pp. 55-62. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.04.031
17. Ren, M.; Wen, X.; Gao, X.; and Liu, Y., “Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete Incorporated with Microencapsulated Phase Change Material,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 273, 2021, p. 121714. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.121714
18. Liu, Z.; Jiang, J.; Jin, X.; Wang, Y.; and Zhang, Y., “Experimental and Numerical Investigations on the Inhibition of Freeze-Thaw Damage of Cement-Based Materials by a Methyl Laurate/Diatomite Microcapsule Phase Change Material,” Journal of Energy Storage, V. 68, 2023, p. 107665. doi: 10.1016/j.est.2023.107665
19. Memon, S. A.; Cui, H. Z.; Zhang, H.; and Xing, F., “Utilization of Macro Encapsulated Phase Change Materials for the Development of Thermal Energy Storage and Structural Lightweight Aggregate Concrete,” Applied Energy, V. 139, 2015, pp. 43-55. doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.11.022
20. Liu, Z.; Jiang, J.; Liu, C.; Tang, A.; Hu, D.; Qian, R.; Zhang, Y.; and Jin, X., “Microstructure and Thermal Conductivity of Paraffin@Burning Garbage Ash Phase Change Energy Storage Materials Embedded in Hydraulic Cementitious Composites: Experiments and Numerical Simulation,” Journal of Cleaner Production, V. 369, 2022, p. 133202. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133202
21. Farid, M. M.; Khudhair, A. M.; Razack, S A K.; and Al-Hallaj, S., “A Review on Phase Change Energy Storage: Materials and Applications,” Energy Conversion and Management, V. 45, No. 9-10, 2004, pp. 1597-1615. doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2003.09.015
22. Kong, X.; Lu, S.; Li, Y.; Huang, J.; and Liu, S., “Numerical Study on the Thermal Performance of Building Wall and Roof Incorporating Phase Change Material Panel for Passive Cooling Application,” Energy and Building, V. 81, 2014, pp. 404-415. doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2014.06.044
23. Ismail, A.; Wang, J.; Salami, B. A.; Oydele, L. O.; and Otukogbe, G. K., “Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials for Enhanced Thermal Energy Storage Performance in Construction Materials: A Critical Review,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 401, 2023, p. 132877. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.132877
12. Pilehvar, S.; Szczotok, A. M.; Rodríguez, J. F.; Valentini, L.; Lanzón, M.; Pamies, R.; and Kjøniksen, A.-L., “Effect of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Mechanical Behavior of Geopolymer Concrete and Portland Cement Concrete Containing Micro-Encapsulated Phase Change Materials,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 200, 2019, pp. 94-103. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.12.057
24. Rodríguez, C. R.; de Mendonça Filho, F. F.; and Figueiredo, S. C., “Fundamental Investigation on the Frost Resistance of Mortar with Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials,” Cement and Concrete Composites, V. 113, 2020, p. 103705. doi: 10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2020.103705
25. Bentz, D. P., and Turpin, R., “Potential Applications of Phase Change Materials in Concrete Technology,” Cement and Concrete Composites, V. 29, No. 7, 2007, pp. 527-532. doi: 10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2007.04.007
26. Mills, A.; Farid, M.; Selman, J. R.; and Al-Hallaj, S., “Thermal Conductivity Enhancement of Phase Change Materials Using a Graphite Matrix,” Applied Thermal Engineering, V. 26, No. 14-15, 2006, pp. 1652-1661. doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2005.11.022
27. Wu, H.; Li, D.; Yang, W.; Wang, S.; Wang, W.; Zhu, Z.; Tan, S.; Wu, J.; and Ding, Q., “Construction of New Conductive Networks for Expandable Graphite-Based Cement Composites Via a Facile Heat Treatment Process,” Cement and Concrete Composites, V. 141, 2023, p. 105142. doi: 10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2023.105142
28. Cai, W.; Yang, W.; Jiang, Z.; He, F.; Zhang, K.; He, R.; Wu, J.; and Fan, J., “Numerical and Experimental Study of Paraffin/Expanded Graphite Phase Change Materials with an Anisotropic Model,” Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, V. 194, 2019, pp. 111-120. doi: 10.1016/j.solmat.2019.02.006
29. Fan, L. W.; Fang, X.; Wang, X.; Zeng, Y.; Xiao, Y.-Q.; Yu, Z.-T.; Xu, X.; Hu, Y.-C.; and Cen, K.-F., “Effects of Various Carbon Nanofillers on the Thermal Conductivity and Energy Storage Properties of Paraffin-Based Nanocomposite Phase Change Materials,” Applied Energy, V. 110, No. 5, 2013, pp. 163-172. doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.04.043