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

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