Alexium pushes phase change materials into data center buildings

Alexium International Group is pitching microencapsulated phase change materials for U.S. data center walls, ceilings and modular panels as operators look for passive thermal buffering during cooling outages and load spikes. The company is opening a co-development program and says the materials can help buy time in AI-era facilities while reducing reliance on peak-sized HVAC systems.

Why it matters: - Data center operators are under pressure to manage heat spikes, cooling failures and rising rack densities without oversizing mechanical systems. - Alexium is targeting a passive building-material approach that can slow temperature rise inside critical rooms and campus structures. - The company is also trying to position phase change materials as a design option for new AI and data center builds, not just a retrofit.

What happened: - Alexium International Group Limited announced that microencapsulated phase change material solutions are available to U.S. data center developers, design-build contractors and engineering firms. - The announcement covers passive thermal buffer use inside walls, ceilings and modular panels. - Alexium is opening a co-development program for PCM-based thermal energy storage focused on ride-through and peak-load needs in AI-era facilities. - The company highlighted three microencapsulation technologies under the NexTek, VivTek and Micronal brands.

The details: - Micronal was originally engineered by BASF for gypsum board and plaster and has two decades of use in commercial buildings. - Micronal joined Alexium’s portfolio with the December 2025 acquisition of Microtek Laboratories and is now manufactured in the United States. - Alexium said its mPCMs can be formulated into coatings with different melt points depending on the thermal requirements of a project. - The materials can be built into wallboard, plaster, aerated concrete, ceiling cassettes and architectural coatings. - Each microcapsule contains a proprietary core inside a cross-linked shell small enough to mix into building materials without changing installation methods. - When room air rises above the PCM melt point, the core melts and absorbs heat. When temperatures fall, the core solidifies and releases heat. - A single 15 mm gypsum board loaded with 3 kg/m² of Micronal stores about 330 kJ/m² at its switching point, roughly matching the heat-storage capacity of about 9 cm of concrete. - The board can hang on standard furring with standard screws. - The capsules have been tested through 10,000 thermal cycles, which the company equates to about 30 years of daily use, with no notable performance change. - Alexium said the materials are a finite buffer that stores heat rather than removes it, and they are designed to work alongside chilled-water storage and UPS-backed fans and pumps. - In support spaces such as electrical, UPS, battery and telecom rooms, network operations centers and offices, PCM board and plaster at a 23–26 °C switching point can flatten daily peaks and hold a tighter temperature band during an outage. - In data hall walls and ceilings, a grade just above the cold-aisle setpoint, such as 26–28 °C for a 24 °C setpoint, stays charged in normal operation and adds latent capacity when cooling is lost. - In prefabricated, modular and edge facilities, a 15 mm mPCM board can give a lightweight module the heat-storage capacity of 9 cm of concrete without the weight or freight burden. - Alexium said the mPCM solutions can also be supplied as slurries, plates and cassettes at custom melt points for active thermal storage. - Research published by SINTEF indicates PCM storage can be up to four times more compact than equivalent water tanks. - Alexium’s broader microencapsulated PCM portfolio spans melt points from 6°C to 43°C.

Between the lines: - The pitch reflects a broader industry shift toward passive resilience as AI workloads push data center thermal loads higher. - Alexium is framing building materials as part of the thermal-management stack, not just traditional HVAC hardware. - The company is also trying to create a standards-and-design conversation early, while projects are still in development.

What’s next: - Alexium wants developers, MEP firms, cooling and thermal-storage OEMs, and board and ceiling manufacturers in its co-development program. - The company is directing engineers and manufacturers to technical data, published test references and data center briefs at Alexium International. - Alexium also provided contact options at (803) 715-3641 and info@alexiuminternational.com.

The bottom line: - Alexium is betting data centers will start treating walls, ceilings and modular panels as part of the thermal-resilience plan, not just the building envelope.