Journal article
Towards development of nature-inspired thermo-responsive vascular composites: Analysis of polymeric composites
Construction & building materials, v 259, 120407
30 Oct 2020
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
•Nature-inspired vascularization was used in designing thermo-responsive composites.•1D-mono discrete and 2D-square architected channels were used in composites.•Phase change material was incorporated in acrylic polymeric samples.•IR imaging technique was used to quantify the thermal response of composite.•2D-square channels could increase the overall heat output of the composite.
Phase change materials (PCMs) have gained popularity as thermal energy storage (TES) materials because they reduce the active energy required to heat or cool a composite component. However, use of PCMs to manage heating/cooling faces two major challenges: their low thermal conductivity and their heterogeneous distribution within the depth of the composite component. This research considers Nature-inspired vascularization in designing PCM composite systems as a possible solution. In some animals, vascularization enhances thermal exchange by increasing surface area and temperature gradients of surfaces. To evaluate the effectiveness of vascularized composites, paraffin-based PCMs were incorporated in acrylic polymeric samples having 1D-mono discrete and 2D-square architected channels, incorporated using micro-machining, with different channel widths. PCM was then injected into the channels and the samples were placed in an environmental chamber that underwent thermal cycling. Infrared images were periodically taken to monitor and analyze thermal response of the samples. It was found that vascularization enhanced heat transfer/efficiency of PCM within the acrylic composite. The experimental analysis showed that doubling the channel width doubles the effective time for heat transfer while increases in the effective area and heat release were found to be small. The experiments also identified an optimal region near the channel where the effect of phase change on controlling heat loss/gain was the highest. The results of this study can be further used in the design optimization of PCM-filled vascular composites to increase the thermal efficiency of thermo-responsive composites.
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Details
- Title
- Towards development of nature-inspired thermo-responsive vascular composites: Analysis of polymeric composites
- Creators
- Angela W. Mutua - Drexel UniversityMohammad Balapour - Drexel UniversityYaghoob Farnam - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Construction & building materials, v 259, 120407
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000573806600002
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85089820774
- Other Identifier
- 991019167681604721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Construction & Building Technology
- Engineering, Civil
- Materials Science, Multidisciplinary