Phase-change material is one of 32 materials in this atlas, grouped under thermal: history, structure, measured properties, process routes, uses, safety and market — not a product catalogue.
Scores compare Phase-change material with the rest of the atlas on strength, heat, fire behaviour, insulation, workability and circularity. They are editorial, not certificates.
Seven chapters follow. Fire and insulation claims name test families (Euroclass, ASTM E84, ISO 5660, KS F) rather than inventing a single safety number.
Deep introduction
Deep dive: Phase-change material
Phase-change material (paraffins / salt hydrates / bio-waxes) is a family of grades whose density ~0.8–1.6 g/cm³, heat band designed 18–28 °C for buildings, and fire letter paraffin = combustible; salts vary.
What “the material” actually is
Phase-change material is sold as grades, not as a single substance. Chemistry paraffins / salt hydrates / bio-waxes, density ~0.8–1.6 g/cm³, heat band designed 18–28 °C for buildings.
This atlas treats Phase-change material as a system: mill route, coatings, tests and the cavity it sits in.
Heat, fire and insulation
Conductivity note: low-to-moderate; often needs fins or graphite. Insulation score 52/100 is relative to 32 entries — metals lose, VIPs and aerogels win.
Fire letter in editorial use: paraffin = combustible; salts vary. Do not equate A1 with “safe in a blaze” or E with “illegal”. Assemblies decide.
How it is made and used
Origin: NASA / Telkes 1940s–70s; building PCM 2000s, United States / Germany. The process chapter follows feedstock → conversion → forming → finish → install.
Uses span buildings to defence / safety. Pairings matter: mineral-wool.
Market and circularity
Producers below are landmarks, not an endorsement ranking. Prices are bands, not live quotes.
Circularity mark 48/100. Ask which scrap, which certificate, which year.
Related atlas
Around Phase-change material
Related atlas entries, a short glossary, and three threads that keep Phase-change material honest.
Decision walkthrough on Phase-change material: fire 24, insulation 52, and one fact already on file — not a code stamp.
Read the fire-performance mark — Fire on this hub is 24/100 — teaching comparison among atlas materials.
Read the insulation mark — Insulation is 52/100 — heat-flow story, not the same question as flame.
Sit one published fact beside them — Quick fact on file: Job: Latent heat.
Sustainability is not a fire skip — A high sustainability mark does not replace fire protection in a real assembly.
Not a building-code rating — Named tests, thickness and build-up still decide compliance — this page is literacy only.
On Phase-change material, fire 24 and insulation 52 answer different jobs; Job: Latent heat grounds one real detail.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Thermal mark or safety fact first?
Second lab decision on Phase-change material: heat-resistance 22 beside published thermal fact Conductivity — literacy, not a code stamp.
Read the heat-resistance mark — Heat resistance on this hub is 22/100 — a thermal story, different from the fire/insulation pair.
Sit one thermal fact beside it — Properties chapter lists Conductivity among published thermal rows.
Heat resistance is not a fire skip — A high thermal mark does not replace named fire tests in a real assembly.
Still not a building-code rating — Thickness, build-up and named tests decide compliance — this page teaches axes only.
On Phase-change material, heat 22 and Conductivity are a second thermal/safety reading after fire vs insulation.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Heat line to keep
A decision from printed marks. Not a building permit.
Frequently asked questions
Is Phase-change material non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: paraffin = combustible; salts vary. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Phase-change material insulate?
Thermal mark 52/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: low-to-moderate; often needs fins or graphite.
What is the density band?
~0.8–1.6 g/cm³
How is it made?
Origin story: NASA / Telkes 1940s–70s; building PCM 2000s (United States / Germany).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 48/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
designed 18–28 °C for buildings
What should it be paired with?
mineral-wool: Blocks heat flow; PCM stores it.
Where is it specified?
Buildings, transport, energy and consumer goods — see the uses chapter.
Is the fire-performance score a building-code rating?
No. It is an editorial 0–100 teaching mark among materials in this atlas. A real wall or garment needs a named product test, thickness and assembly. This page is not a lab stamp.
When should I read insulation instead of fire?
Use the insulation pick when the question is heat flow — lining, loft, or a cold-bridge — and the fire pick when the question is how the same material behaves in flame. Both numbers already sit on this hub; they answer different jobs.
Does a high sustainability score mean I can skip fire protection?
No. Sustainability here is a relative atlas mark (growth, reuse, embodied story). Bamboo and timber can still char like wood. Fire protection stays a separate specification.
Why is bamboo missing in some languages?
A language URL is published only when the seven chapters are real prose in that language. Bamboo exists in English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. French, German, Portuguese and Russian stay withheld — earlier machine drafts leaked English, so those URLs are not opened.
Icons
Maria Telkes
United States · 1948
Maria Telkes is a reference point in the public image of Phase-change material.
Glauber’s salt
Europe · historic
Glauber’s salt is a reference point in the public image of Phase-change material.
Micronal board
Germany · 2000s
Micronal board is a reference point in the public image of Phase-change material.
Ice pack
Global · 20th c.–
Ice pack is a reference point in the public image of Phase-change material.
NASA PCM vest
United States · 1990s–
NASA PCM vest is a reference point in the public image of Phase-change material.
Cold-chain box
Global · 2010s–
Cold-chain box is a reference point in the public image of Phase-change material.
Paraffin candle physics
Global · historic
Paraffin candle physics is a reference point in the public image of Phase-change material.
Battery PCM pad
Global · 2020s
Battery PCM pad is a reference point in the public image of Phase-change material.
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