Microencapsulated Phase Change Material Thermoregulating for Textile

What is Phase Change Material?

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are ideal products for thermal management solutions. This is because they store and release thermal energy during the process of melting & freezing (changing from one phase to another). When such a material freezes, it releases large amounts of energy in the form of latent heat of fusion, or energy of crystallisation. Conversely, when the material is melted, an equal amount of energy is absorbed from the immediate environment as it changes from solid to liquid.
This property of PCMs can be used in a number of ways, such as thermal energy storage whereby heat or coolness can be stored from one process or period in time, and used at a later date or different location, for example in solar energy building. PCMs are also very useful in providing thermal barriers or insulation, for example in temperature controlled transport. PCM can also be incorporated in thermal regulation textiles to control temperature change.

About microencapsulation

Microencapsulation may be defined as the process of surrounding or enveloping one substance within  another substance on a very small scale, yielding capsules ranging from less than one micron to several hundred microns in size. Microcapsules may be spherically shaped, with a continuous wall surrounding the core, while others are asymmetrically and variably shaped, with a quantity of smaller droplets of core material embedded throughout the microcapsule.


PCM microencapsulation