The awakening of environmental awareness by society has raised issues previously ignored such as energy consumption. In a society with a high growth rate and increased standards of comfort arises the need to minimize the currently high energy consumption by taking advantage of renewable energy sources. The mortars with incorporation of phase change materials (PCM) have the ability to regulate the temperature inside buildings, contributing to the thermal comfort and reduction of the use of heating and cooling equipment, using only the energy supplied by the sun. However, the incorporation of phase change materials in mortars modifies its characteristics. The main purpose of this study was the physical and mechanical characterization, as well the evaluation of the durability. Twelve compositions were developed, based in different binders and doped with 40% of PCM. It was possible to observe that the incorporation of PCM in mortars caused significant differences in properties, such as workability, compression strength, flexural strength, adhesion, water absorption by capillarity, water absorption by immersion and degradation after freeze-thaw cycles. However, it was concluded that the incorporation of PCM in mortars can be performed successfully. Being that the changes in mortars can be solved by incorporating a higher content of binder, superplasticizer and the inclusion of fibers. Although the results of this investigation are promising it is important to note that further investigations should be performed aiming to observe the influence of PCM in mortars composed by other materials.
Mortars; phase change materials; workability; mechanical behavior; durability
