These walls could make heatwaves and cold snaps more bearable

The peak temperature of a room could be reduced by 3-4°C by using phase-change materials in the concrete brick or plaster used to build homes. — Ivan Smuk/Shutterstock/AFP Relaxnews

Ever heard of phase-change materials? They may have a complicated-sounding name, but these compounds could offer a serious avenue of pursuit in the quest to keep cool in heatwave conditions. This is because their properties can be used to delay the penetration of heat into our homes. A Korean research team has now found a technique that makes this technology even more effective, by injecting bubbles.

Phase-change materials may sound incredibly technical – like a physics or chemistry student's worst nightmare – but these so-called PCMs could help us to better manage heatwave conditions as well as spells of very cold weather. They may sound too good to be true but, in reality, the solution is found right under our noses, in the natural world.