Latent heat thermal energy storage systems incorporate phase change materials (PCMs) as storage materials. The high energy density of PCMs, their ability to store at nearly constant temperature, and the diversity of available materials make latent heat storage systems particularly competitive technologies for reducing energy consumption in buildings. This work reviews recent experimental and numerical studies on the integration of PCMs in building envelopes for passive energy storage. The results of the different studies show that the use of PCMs can reduce the peak temperature and smooth the thermal load. The integration of PCMs can be done on the entire building envelope (walls, roofs, windows). Despite many advances, some aspects remain to be studied, notably the long-term stability of buildings incorporating PCMs, the issues of moisture and mass transfer, and the consideration of the actual use of the building. Based on this review, we have identified possible contributions to improve the efficiency of passive systems incorporating PCMs. Thus, fatty acids and their eutectic mixtures, combined with natural insulators, such as vegetable fibers, were chosen to make shape-stabilized PCMs composites. These composites can be integrated in buildings as a passive thermal energy storage material.

Modern engineering faces challenges in ensuring technical standards for service, durability, and sustainability. Political, administrative, and budgetary factors, coupled with climate change, pose tasks to structural integrity, affecting industries and economies. Marine infrastructures represent a strategic asset of a country as they handle a large part of the economic exchanges. This article analyzes five essential factors that play a fundamental role in the performance analysis of coastal structures: chloride-induced corrosion, degradation models, maintenance strategies, monitoring, and climate change. We start with reinforcement corrosion, which is considered as the main cause of distress, particularly in coastal zones, for the long-term behavior of structures. Additional pressure from the influences of climate change is becoming evident and extreme, leading to a reduction in capacity. To guarantee the lifespan of infrastructures, degradation models contribute by estimating the long-term performance of the asset as a strategic piece to the development of effective maintenance solutions. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have gained recent prominence in this field due to their ability to learn intricate patterns from historical data, making them valuable instruments for predicting structural deterioration. Additionally, quantifying the condition of the structure from monitoring data plays a crucial part in providing information on the current situation of the structure. Finally, this review summarizes the challenges associated with the maintenance of aging marine structures considering aspects such as corrosion, monitoring, and the future challenges this area will face due to climate change.

The building sector, one of the most energy-consuming, is among the most current topics due to the maturing concerns about the anthropogenic factor’s impact on CO₂ quantities in the atmosphere and its association with global temperature rise. Using sustainable building materials is a promising alternative in building envelope applications to improve in-use energy efficiency. These materials, having a low environmental impact, the advantage of being renewable, and low embodied energy, contribute to global sustainability. This comprehensive literature review presents a broad overview of these materials’ hygrothermal characteristics, thermal performance, and energy use. The main goal is to compile the most important research findings on these materials’ capabilities for building construction and their contributions and effects on energy performance and thermal insulation.

This study aims at showing the potential of additive manufacturing as a new processing route for designing future insulators in the building sector. Polycarbonate (PC) is studied as a possible candidate for designing these new insulators. This polymer offers several advantages, among them fire resistance and stability of its physical properties at high temperatures. The 3D printing of PC is attempted using fused deposition modelling technology. The printing temperature and infill rate are varied to achieve optimal mechanical and thermal characteristics. The results show that an optimal printing temperature of 280 °C is needed to achieve high tensile performance. In addition, thermal properties including thermal conductivity and effusivity increase with the increase of the infill rate in opposition to the thermal diffusivity decrease.