Phase change materials for smart textiles - An overview

Phase change materials (PCM) take advantage of latent heat that can be stored or released from a material over a narrow temperature range. PCM possesses the ability to change their state with a certain temperature range. These materials absorb energy during the heating process as phase change takes place and release energy to the environment in the phase change range during a reverse cooling process. Insulation effect reached by the PCM depends on temperature and time. Recently, the incorporation of PCM in textiles by coating or encapsulation to make thermo-regulated smart textiles has grown interest to the researcher. Therefore, an attempt has been taken to review the working principle of PCM and their applications for smart temperature regulated textiles. Different types of phase change materials are introduced. This is followed by an account of incorporation of PCM in the textile structure are summarized. Concept of thermal comfort, clothing for cold environment, phase change materials and clothing comfort are discussed in this review paper. Some recent applications of PCM incorporated textiles are stated. Finally, the market of PCM in textiles field and some challenges are mentioned in this review paper. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.