DSC STUDIES OF NEW ENERGY-STORAGE MATERIALS .3. THERMAL AND FLAMMABILITY STUDIES

Investigations of the thermal properties of fatty acids as energy storage materials (ESMs) have been proceeding for some time. Several of these, when incorporated into building materials such as wallboard, have proved efficacious for absorbing and releasing heat as ambient temperature rises and falls. This makes them potentially useful for supplemental cooling and heating applications. Unfortunately other properties of these materials such as flammability, odor and smoke production make them undesirable for construction use. This study using DSC and flammability testing describes some new candidates for ESMs which avoid some of these inherent problems; in addition to providing greater energy storage capacity.