Temperature-regulating functional PET composite fabric based on paraffin@silicon dioxide microencapsulated phase change materials

A novel kind of thermoregulatory composite fabric was prepared in this work. Firstly, paraffin@silicon dioxide (Pn@SiO2) microencapsulated phase change microcapsules (MEPCM) were synthesized by sol-gel method with paraffin as the core and silica dioxide as the shell. The spherical MEPCM with a particle size distribution of 6–12 μm exhibited a smooth surface. The heat storage capacity of MEPCM was tested by DSC, showing the phase change enthalpy of 137.3 J/g. Then, MEPCM was coated onto PET textile fabric, and the effect of different content of MEPCM on the temperature regulation performance of the finishing fabric was discussed. MEPCM on the surface morphology, thermal regulating properties, and thermal effects of the fabric were investigated by SEM, DSC, TG, infrared thermography, and photo thermal experiment. The highest enthalpy of the composite fabric after finishing by MEPCM could reach 49.18 J/g, and the infrared thermography showed that the rate of temperature change of the composite fabric was significantly slowed down during the warming and cooling process, which had the ideal heat storage and temperature regulation function. Phase change composite fabric shows great potential in a wide range of applications, such as military firefighting, personal protection, and temperature-controllable advanced textiles.