Adaptive facade and phase change materials (PCMs). A sustainable approach for building materials

In the building industry, the building envelope can be crucial to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, contributing – with adequate technical and technological solutions and energy-efficient materials – to a prospective energy saving that the European Union estimates at 32.5% by 2030. Creating ‘adaptive’ envelopes in highly energy efficient buildings is an already available option, with thanks to some materials such as Phase Change Materials (PCMs), developed by the research at ‘micro’ and ‘nano’ scales. PCMs give the possibility of reducing the daily fluctuations of the room temperatures through the reduction of indoor temperature peaks. This paper highlights the characteristics, advantages and limits of PCMs, focusing in particular on current research and future scenarios, mostly in relation to the contribution given by nanotechnology to boost the property of these materials used in the building industry.