UMinho
They regulate the temperature of buildings, make cities more comfortable, economical and resilient to extreme climates.
A team of scientists from the School of Sciences of the University of Minho (ECUM) is developing smart microfibers for construction.
As microfibras regulate the temperature of construction materials used in civil engineering, such as bituminous pavements and cement mortars for urban buildings.
This innovation’s priorities are to contribute to more sustainable infrastructures, better thermal comfort, mitigating energy poverty and reducing the urban heat island effect.
In , UMinho explains that microfibers are produced by wiring wet – with coagulation and solidification of the material – and incorporate phase change materials (PCMs), capable of absorbing and releasing energy as the temperature varies.
Nathalia Hammes, responsible for this doctoral project, details that fibers function as small cables, with the core containing the PCMs and the coating protecting them.
During heating or cooling, the nucleus changes phaseabsorbing or releasing energy that changes the temperature of the composite.
“This can help stabilize a temperature in buildings and avoiding excessive use of air conditioning or heaters”, analyzes Nathalia – and preliminary results indicate that these microfibers maintain more stable temperatures than conventional solutions.
The study involves materials and processes sustainable – recycling of fabrics for the production of fiber coating and study of edible oil derivatives for the production of recycled PCMs.
Microfibers are created with PCMs binary eutectics: the combination of two compounds results in a mixture with a well-defined phase change temperature, which promotes more versatile thermal operation.
“By controlling the temperature in urban buildings, this technology can improve citizens’ quality of life”, highlights the researcher.
