Gypsum Integrated Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Efficiency in Buildings: A Review

Abstract

Global energy consumption for heating and cooling in buildings, accounting for approximately 32 % of total energy use, demonstrating a critical challenge worsened by urban expansion and climate change, necessitating innovative solutions for building thermal efficiency. This review addresses this request by systematically analysing the integration of phase change materials (PCMs) with gypsum for enhanced building thermal management. The comprehensive literature review, spanning from 2010 to 2025, reveals that PCM-gypsum composites can significantly improve temperature stabilization and user comfort. Key insights include the identification of optimal PCM loading ranges, with 30 %–45 % by weight yielding the best thermal properties while maintaining adequate mechanical strength. However, higher PCM loadings can lead to mechanical weaknesses, necessitating a careful balance between thermal performance and structural integrity. Laboratory tests reveal these composites absorb 30–40 J/g of latent heat and achieve significant thermal conductivity reductions, up to 55.14 % compared to pure gypsum. For instance, heating gypsum walls with 7.5 % micro-capsule content resulted in 1.3 °C maximum temperature stability. Furthermore, lauryl alcohol-impregnated gypsum composites exhibited minimal thermal performance degradation after 1500 cycles, maintaining high enthalpy values (100.4–100.1 J/g). This review highlights PCM-enhanced gypsum as a sustainable solution for energy-efficient buildings, aiding waste utilisation, minimising carbon emissions, and improving indoor comfort, crucial for addressing future energy demands in climate-altered structures. Furthermore, the use of microencapsulated PCMs (mPCMs) can improve leakage protection amd thus enhanced durability. In this regard, the thermal conductivity of gypsum-based composites is around 0.4165 W/(m K) at a 40 % volume loading. This is an additional reducible with shape-stabilized PCMs derived from agricultural byproducts. The results of this review have signified the PCM-enhanced gypsum as a sustainable solution for energy-effective buildings, helping to minimize the waste utilisation besides reducing carbon emissions while upgrading indoor comfort. However, a focus should be made in the future research to resolve the associated barriers of compatibility between encapsulated PCMs, leakage deterrence at high PCM loadings and gypsum matrix, and long-term mechanical stability. Undoubtedly, exploring enhanced encapsulation techniques and integrated smart building materials would introduce innovative, energy-autonomous buildings that can familiarize different climatic conditions, expressively contributing to sustainable architectural practices. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd