Enhancing cementitious composites with PCM-impregnated cork granules for sustainable and energy-efficient building elements

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) enhance cementitious composites by leveraging latent heat capacity, reducing heating and cooling demands. This study investigates PCM-impregnated cork granules as aggregate in cement mortar. Thermal Energy Storage Aggregates (TESAs) were created using Parafol 18–97 and Parafol 20Z PCMs. The sand was partially substituted with TESAs and cork granules. Analyses assessed physical, thermal, and mechanical attributes, revealing favorable phase change temperatures and notable latent heat values in TESA-A and TESA-B. While TESAs reduced mechanical properties, they outperformed cork granules. TESA-mortar specimens displayed acceptable properties, with TESA-50 showing the best energy-saving performance and longest time lag. These findings highlight PCM-infused cork granules' potential in energy-efficient cement mortar. •Thermal Energy Storage Aggregates (TESA-A and TESA-B) were manufactured using cork granules and PCMs.•TESA-A and TESA-B displayed favorable phase change temperature ranges and latent heat values.•TESA-A and TESA-B specimens showed better mechanical properties and observations than C50 specimens.•TESA-A and TESA-B specimens demonstrated superior energy-saving performance than other specimens.•TESA-50 showed the highest energy-saving performance, with an 18-minute time lag and a temperature difference of 6.6 °C.