Fraunhofer Institute scientists have invented The Perfect Coffee Mug: One that absorbs the heat from your beverage, making it go down to a perfect temperature, and then releasing it slowly to keep it at that exact temperature for 30 minutes.
The key for this magic trick is physics and PCM—phase change material—an extraordinary substance used in construction and winter clothing. PCM is capable of storing and releasing heat or cold.
Phase Change Material
A phase change material (PCM) is a substance with a high heat of fusion which, melting and solidifying at a certain temperature, is capable of storing and releasing large amounts of energy. Heat is absorbed or released when the material changes from solid to liquid and vice versa; thus, PCMs are classified as latent heat storage (LHS) units.
High-Tech for the Kitchen
Scientists Develop Intelligent Coffee Mug
The scientists made a high-tech mug using a porcelain shell whose hollow interior is filled with a honeycomb structure made of ribbons of highly conductive material, such as aluminum. This honeycomb structure is then filled with PCM. "So now, if you are drinking hot coffee in one of these cups," Sinnesbichler explains, "the drink's heat is directed straight into the still solid PCM. This heat, in term, melts the PCM -- kind of like wax -- and turns it into a liquid."
The two scientists found a solution in phase change material (PCM), a wax-like substance used in the construction materials industry, which is normally used to ensure comfortable room temperatures in the summer without having to use any energy for air conditioners.
The material absorbs the warmth of the mug's content like a sponge, stores it and brings it down to the optimal temperature. Then the PCM helps maintain the content's temperature at this optimal level by slowly releasing the stored heat back into the mug's contents.
clipped from gizmodo.com
clipped from en.wikipedia.org
clipped from www.spiegel.de
clipped from www.spiegel.de
