Congratulations to Dehong Li on the successful and outstanding defense of his doctoral thesis!
Congratulations to Dehong Li, who successfully defended his PhD thesis in Wood Engineering and Bio-based Materials on January 21, 2026!
His thesis, entitled « Bio-based Fatty Alcohol Phase Change Material-Wood Composite with Improved Thermal Performance and Leakage Resistance for Building Energy Efficiency », develops wood-PCM (phase change material) composites based on bio-based fatty alcohols, combining thermal performance and leakage resistance to optimize building energy efficiency. It proposes a multi-scale approach combining the design of optimized eutectic PCMs, their impregnation into wood, and reinforcement with carbon nanotubes and protective coatings, in order to maximize thermal storage while minimizing the risk of leakage.
This achievement crowns a research project carried out with rigour and dedication, under the supervision of Professor Véronic Landry (Université Laval) and Professor Xiaodong Wang (Université du Québec à Rimouski).
The jury, composed of renowned experts: Pierre Blanchet, Véronic Landry, Alain Cloutier, Louis Gosselin (Université Laval), Xiaodong Wang (Université du Québec à Rimouski), and Ahmed Soliman (Concordia University), unanimously praised the rigour, originality, and scientific excellence of Dehong’s work.
Congratulations, Dehong! This milestone marks a significant advance in an academic journey already rich with important contributions and inspiring achievements.
Once again, our heartfelt congratulations!
From left to right: Pierre Blanchet, Xiaodong Wang, Dehong Li, Véronic Landry, Alain Cloutier, and Louis Gosselin
Summary: With the intensification of global climate change and the continuous rise in building energy consumption, the development of green and efficient passive thermal regulation materials has become an important approach to improving building energy performance. Bio-based fatty alcohol phase change materials (PCMs) show strong potential for thermal energy storage and regulation, but their application is still limited by low thermal conductivity and leakage in the molten state.
This thesis aims to develop thermally enhanced and leakage-resistant wood-based PCM composite materials by incorporating bio-based eutectic fatty alcohol PCMs into natural wood substrates, combined with high thermal conductivity carbon material enhancement and surface coating strategies. To achieve this goal, three interrelated research directions are systematically explored. The first direction focuses on binary eutectic PCM systems composed of 1-dodecanol, 1-tetradecanol, 1-hexadecanol and 1-octadecanol. Thermodynamic modeling combined with experimental validation using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was applied to identify compositions with phase change temperatures close to indoor thermal comfort and high latent heat, as well as good thermal stability.
The second direction involves impregnating a selected eutectic PCM into pine sapwood and European beech using a vacuum-pressure process. Structural characterization, leakage tests, and thermal performance analysis were conducted to evaluate impregnation efficiency, thermal energy storage capacity and leakage suppression through the application of protective surface coatings on the wood. The third direction aims to improve the thermal response of the eutectic PCM by introducing hydroxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes. An ultrasonic dispersion method using salicylic acid as a dispersant was employed to optimize the dispersion stability of carbon nanotubes in the fatty alcohol PCM. The modified eutectic PCM was subsequently impregnated into wood, and the thermal energy storage capacity and leakage resistance of the resulting composites were systematically evaluated. In summary, this thesis proposes a multiscale design strategy combining component optimization, thermal response enhancement and surface coating strategies, providing both theoretical support and practical pathways for the application of bio-based PCMs in building thermal energy management.