(Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Oak Ridge, TN) -- Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have developed a novel way to encapsulate salt hydrate phase-change materials within polymer fibers through a coaxial pulling process. The discovery could lead to the widespread use of the low-carbon materials as a source of insulation for a building’s envelope.

Encapsulated fibers, salt hydrates, and polymers, pictured above, are produced through a coaxial pulling process. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy.

Environmentally friendly salt hydrates can function as a thermal battery, providing heating and cooling by storing and releasing energy when changing from solid to liquid. The challenge to integrating them into walls and roofs is how they are enclosed to prevent leaking.

By using a coaxial technique, polymer and salt were pulled together in one direction to form core-shell fibers that contain a salt core and polymer shell.

 …