Phase Change Materials (PCM) are not a new technology. They have been used for decades in various sectors where thermal energy is temporarily stored and released at a later time. Thanks to this unique property, energy can be used more efficiently and temperatures can be maintained more effectively.
The best-known example of a Phase Change Material is water. When water freezes into ice or melts again, thermal energy is absorbed or released. PCM materials use the same principle by storing heat during the melting process and releasing it when the material solidifies. This allows thermal energy to be stored temporarily and used efficiently at a later moment.
People have been using this principle for thousands of years. Between 1700 and 1000 BC, ice houses were already being used in Syria and on Crete to keep food products cool. In the Middle Ages, castles were also equipped with ice cellars where natural cooling was stored. Around 1900, the first technical applications emerged, using ventilation over ice to cool buildings. After the Second World War, the first buildings appeared in which PCM technology was deliberately applied for climate control. From the 1990s onwards, interest in PCM increased significantly, and the technology developed into a mature solution for sustainable climate systems.
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