Light-transmitting wood-based composite comprising microencapsulated phase-change material for sustainable energy applications in buildings

The study explored an innovative building material that provides both lighting energy savings and thermal comfort by integrating microencapsulated phase change material (µPCM) into light-transmissive wood-based composite material. The wood-based composite comprises epoxy resin (Er), wood chips (Wc), fibre (Gf), various μPCM concentrations, and plastic optical grids to transmit light through the plate. The highest thermal conductivity, 0.21 W/mK, was observed for µPCM0 samples. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis presented that a composite containing 100 wt% µPCM has a melting temperature of 25 °C and a latent heat storage of 35.0 J/g. µPCM100 offered a lower surface temperature approximately 6 °C colder when the hot weather hours were taken into account. The wood composites with µPCM contributed to maintaining lower peak room temperatures and extended temperature stability overnight. While 1.923 km/s UPV was obtained in µPCM0 samples, the UPV value after 100% µPCM addition compared to the weight of the old was 1.845 km/s. Compared to the µPCM0 samples, the ErµPCMWc samples had a light transmittance rate of almost 64% greater. The study's findings could improve artificial lighting efficiency, significantly lessening indoor temperature fluctuations, enhancing thermal comfort and promoting sustainable building solutions.