All coffee lovers should be cheering now that a new temperature regulating coffee mug has been invented by scientists. This mug is able to absorb the temperature of its contents, store that data, and keep the hot beverage at the correct temperature. This temperature regulating coffee mug will work to keep the coffee inside at the correct temperature level by releasing heat back into the contents continually.
Most coffee lovers are familiar with the fact that an insulated coffee mug works well to keep your coffee warm for a longer period of time, but now there is a mug that is technologically advanced to enable your drink to be kept at the correct temperature for a half an hour, whether it is cold or hot! This is exactly what you need if you have your coffee sitting next to you on your desk at work because it will ensure that it will be hot enough to drink when you choose to enjoy it. No more forgetting about your cup of Joe and then taking a sip of cold coffee, which can be both disappointing and disheartening. This temperature regulating coffee mug is made of phase change material, or PCM. This material is capable of storing and releasing heat by the changing of its phase.
This was developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics by two scientists who first designed a porcelain shell that was filled with highly conductive aluminum ribbons. This aluminum was shaped in a honeycomb structure, and the holes were filled with PCM. This enabled the PCM material to absorb the heat of the coffee and melt into a liquidy wax. This worked to cool the beverage to the correct temperature, and when it cooled, the PCM released the heat that it had stored back into the beverage, which enabled it to stay at the perfect temperature for half an hour.
Different beverages do have various optimal temperatures. Coffee and tea taste best at 136°F, beer at 44°F, and iced drinks at 10°F. These call for different chemical makeups within the PCM, which is why different mugs are designed for each of these beverage types. The only downside to this wonderful invention is that one mug will not work for both hot and cold liquids.
You can expect to see these innovative mugs on the market at the end of next year, and they should cost slightly more than an average coffee mug, but still be affordable. Furthermore, PCM does provide many different uses, including the potential to keep perishable foods from going bad, or even to protect paintings in museums from fires because it is a non-flammable substance. Currently, PCM is used in some winter jackets to provide warmth in cold weather, and it also can be used to store computer data without any electrical current. As far as keeping your coffee warm, this is the perfect use of this material, and every coffee lover will be thankful!
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