Project Description

The development of bio-based materials for energy applications is crucial to build a more sustainable future. Future energy supply chain will consist of several renewable energy sources combined with engineering and material approaches to save and store energy. Latent heat of phase change materials (PCM) are desirable since they are based on the absorption and release of heat during phase transitions and can be integrated with other materials and manufacturing approaches. Commercially available PCMs are based on non-biodegradable inorganic materials such as salt hydrates and eutectics or from petroleum-derived organic materials such as paraffins. Bio-derived organic PCMs such as fatty acids and fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) are not used commercially due to their high corrosiveness (of metals) and solvent like-behavior for polymers, which can be catastrophic in structural applications where PCMs are mostly used. There is a need for bio-derived and biodegradable PCM organic materials that are low cost, non-corrosive and stable against hydrolysis and oxidation. The aim of this postdoctoral project is to engineer new sustainable bio-based PCMs suitable for commercial applications (between -20 ºC to 65 ºC) from bio sources including but not limited to oils and sugar alcohols and investigate their use in paving materials.

Start Date

08/2020

Postdoc Qualifications 

Highly motivated Ph.D. graduates in chemical engineering, materials science, or chemistry with experience in: polymer science, energy applications, or infrastructure testing are encouraged to apply. Interested candidates should have strong organizational, written, and verbal skills, and an interest and ability to work both independently and collaboratively. While open-ended, it is envisioned that this project will combine elements of simple organic synthesis, theory, and engineering.

Co-advisors 

Prof. Carlos Martinez 
cjmartinez@purdue.edu
School of Materials Engineering

Prof. Jeffrey Youngblood 
jpyoungb@purdue.edu
School of Materials Engineering

Collaborator 

Prof. Pablo Zavattieri 
zavattie@purdue.edu
Lyles School of Civil Engineering

References 

Ye, Congwang, Anthony Chen, Paolo Colombo, and Carlos Martinez. "Ceramic microparticles and capsules via microfluidic processing of a preceramic polymer." Journal of The Royal Society Interface 7, no. suppl_4 (2010): S461-S473. 

Y Farnam, HS Esmaeeli, PD Zavattieri, J Haddock, J Weiss, "Incorporating phase change materials in concrete pavement to melt snow and ice”, Cement and Concrete Composites Volume 84, pp. 134-145, 2017. 

Youngman Yoo, Carlos Martinez, and Jeffrey Youngblood. “Sustained Dye Release Using Poly(ureaurethane)/Cellulose Nanocrystal Composite Microcapsules.” Langmuir 33 (2017).

Youngman Yoo, Carlos Martinez, and Jeffrey P. Youngblood. "Synthesis and characterization of microencapsulated phase change materials with poly (urea− urethane) shells containing cellulose nanocrystals." ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 9, no. 37 (2017).

H.H. Esmaeeli, Y. Farnam, J.E. Haddock, P.D. Zavattieri, W. J. Weiss, "Numerical analysis of the freeze-thaw performance of cementitious composites that contain phase change material (PCM)", Materials and Design, 145, pp. 74-87, 2018