Drywall that Melts: WITHOUT Drugs!

If someone started yelling out facts about a wall that keeps your house cooler without the need for the air conditioner, you might think they were crazy. Then again, they could be telling the truth with an up-and-coming scientific idea.

A new form of drywall may help to keep your house cooler and more energy efficient by absorbing heat from the sun in those extremely hot summers (But will it work with Sticky Velcro!?) The drywall contains tons of tiny capsules, produced by chemical manufacturer BASF, inside of it that absorb the heat in the daytime, and present a phase-change where the capsules begin to release the heat as night begins. This statement from Technology Review shows a little more depth on the change:

"The "phase-change" materials inside the BASF capsules keep a room cool in much the same way that ice cubes chill a drink: by absorbing heat as they melt. Each polymer capsule contains paraffin waxes that melt at around room temperature, enabling them to keep the temperature of a room constant throughout the day. The waxes work best in climates that cool down at night, allowing the materials inside the capsules to solidify and release the heat they've stored during the day."

This is all in an attempt for construction and building manufacturers to transform into more "Green" organizations. In some areas of the world, this could reduce the usage of air conditioners by up to 20%, and eventually as time progresses, could turn air conditioning units into back up mode, with the capsuled drywall being the number one contender.

The company creates the capsules by rapidly mashing wax into water, which repel each other. This creates the small rain-like droplets that absorb the heat inside of the drywall. Adding acrylic precursors to the mix coats the outside of the wax, then they add a catalyst to form a shell of acrylic over the droplets. This can be added to plaster and concrete along with drywall. BASF isn't the only company that is producing the phase-changing chemicals, but it is trying it in a different way. BASF sells the capsules for an assortment of building materials, and not just drywall. This could, essentially, call for phase-changing capsules in just about any kind of material, walls, ceilings, floors, and even more.

As the world pushes for more green buildings, transportation, and more, we often wonder what kind of energy efficient world we will see in the future. With bright accomplishments such as cars running off of vegetable oil, and walls absorbing heat, it's not unlikely that we are transcending to a better, simpler world.

More information at: Technology Review.