To meet the European Green Deal targets, the construction sector must improve building thermal performance via advanced insulation systems. Eco-friendly sandwich panels offer a promising solution. Therefore, this work aims to develop and validate a new eco-friendly composite sandwich panel (basalt fibres and recycled extruded polystyrene) with enhanced multifunctionality for lightweight and energy-efficient building façades. Two panels were produced via vacuum infusion—a reference panel and a multifunctional panel incorporating phase change materials (PCMs) and silica aerogels (AGs). Their performance was evaluated through lab-based thermal and acoustic tests, numerical simulations, and on-site monitoring in a living laboratory. The test results from all methods were consistent. The PCM-AG panel showed 16% lower periodic thermal transmittance (0.16 W/(m²K) vs. 0.19 W/(m²K)) and a 92% longer time shift (4.26 h vs. 2.22 h), indicating improved thermal inertia. It also achieved a single-number sound insulation rating of 38 dB. These findings confirm the panel’s potential to reduce operational energy demand and support long-term climate goals.

This project consists of developing a Eucalyptus-based product. The selected product is a sports performance T-shirt impregnated with eucalyptus essential oil. A Chemical Product Design approach was used to translate customer needs into the new product. This procedure is divided into four stages: Needs, Ideas, Selection and Manufacture. This product’s target audience is athletics and hiking enthusiasts. Its main purpose is to valorize Eucalyptus Globulus essential oil’s unique properties, providing fresh and decongestion sensations to the user. Finally, an economic analysis was performed to evaluate the product viability.

The rapid expansion of space exploration has increased the demand for lightweight structural materials capable of maintaining performance under extreme thermal conditions. Carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) offer high specific strength and low density; however, their application in cryogenic environments remains challenging due to the brittleness of epoxy matrices, which are susceptible to cracking at low temperatures and under thermal cycling. In this work, two strategies were investigated to improve the damage tolerance of epoxy nanocomposites: (i) the use of a biscitraconimide-based (BCI) resin and (ii) the incorporation of methyl methacrylate–butadiene–styrene (MBS) core–shell particles. Low additive contents were evaluated to identify formulations compatible with prepreg manufacturing. The incorporation of 2 wt.% of MBS core–shell particles significantly improved the impact resistance of the nanocomposites and was selected for CFRP laminate production. When applied to CFRPs, the modified matrix maintained the overall tensile behaviour while increasing the interlaminar fracture toughness by 102% and 122% at room (RT) and cryogenic temperatures (CT), respectively. These findings demonstrate that matrix modification using low-content toughening is an effective strategy to enhance the cryogenic performance of CFRPs, contributing to the development of lighter and more resilient composite structures for next-generation space systems.

This work investigates composite sandwich panels for lightweight applications, focusing on a controlled one-shot vacuum infusion route for extruded polystyrene (XPS)-core structures with epoxy-based skins. Glass-fibre/XPS/epoxy panels manufactured by vacuum-assisted hand lay-up were compared with basalt-fibre/XPS/epoxy panels manufactured by vacuum infusion. The panels were evaluated through thermal, physical and mechanical tests, including differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), density, fibre and void content, hardness, flexural behaviour and dimensional stability. The basalt-fibre/vacuum-infused configuration showed higher hardness, fibre volume fraction and flexural performance. As reinforcement material and the manufacturing route were changed simultaneously, the observed differences are interpreted as the combined response of the two configurations.