Phase Change Materials in Technical Textiles applications

Technology is getting smaller and faster and we all know the sped of this development is increasing. Now it is possible to integrate properties of sensitivity, information and intelligence into single materials. In the last decade one of emerging technologies is microencapsulated Phase Change Materials which are being developed to provide significantly enhanced thermal management for fibres, foams and textiles with application to apparel and technical textiles? Phase change technology originates from the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administrations) research programme of the 1970s. The aim of this programme was to provide astronauts and instruments with better protection against extreme fluctuation of temperature in space and since then research work has been carried out by scientists. Among the emerging technologies, encapsulation of phase change materials (PCMs) has been grown up to provide significantly enhanced thermal management for coolants, textile fibers and surfaces, foams, composites and coatings in application to avionics, spacesuits, buildings, machine coolants, electronics, apparel, packaging, food, agriculture, medical etc.