Highly Stable and Nonflammable Hydrated Salt-Paraffin Shape-Memory Gels for Sustainable Building Technology

Hydrated salts (salt hydrates) are highly promising low-temperature phase change materials (PCMs) due to their high cohesive energy density and low cost. However, they exhibit separation, liquid leakage, inherent supercooling, which hinder applications in sustainable building technology. Here, we describe the design of a stable emulsion gel system (EmulGels) that exhibits nonflammable shape-memory characteristics. Oleophilic paraffin hydrophilic hydrated salts, both excellent PCMs typically existing separate phases, combined harmoniously by templating water-in-oil Pickering emulsion. Latent heat values prepared EmulGels were up 213.2 J/g (eicosane/disodium hydrogen phosphate dodecahydrate = 1:3). No leakage eicosane was noticed after heating at 60 °C for 30 min, latent value remained almost unchanged following 500 thermal cycles. The EmulGel specifically designed enable dual-phase crosslinking, effectively enhanced its shape stability, slowed down loss water crystallization decreased degree supercooling. Nonflammable characteristic found also exhibited EmulGel, combination with good mechanical properties. characteristics make ideal candidates serve as construction interlayers effective management.