Phase change materials (PCMs) are thermal energy storing materials which are adopted in various
industries including textiles. They provide temperature regulation by absorbing the heat from the ambiance or
releasing the latent heat that they store. PCMs are widely integrated into textiles in microencapsulated form
where the core PCM is covered by the microcapsule shell and protected during phase change. This form also
provides a higher thermal conductivity. In this work, a blend of organic coconut oil and n-octadecane were used
as phase change material in core, and melamine formaldehyde was used as shell material to develop
microencapsulated PCM for heat storage. The microcapsules were produced by using in situ polymerization
method. The developed microcapsules (MPCMs) were integrated to a recycled PES (polyester) nonwoven fabric,
generated from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) fibres, and manufactured by combing and needle punching
technique. The MPCMs were implemented to the fabric by coating method. The core PCM, MPCM, and the
coated nonwoven fabric were assessed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Scanning Electron
Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). SEM results indicated that spherical
and uniform microcapsules were obtained with a particle size of 3-9 μm. DSC results revealed that MPCM and
the MPCM coated nonwoven fabric possessed a remarkable melting enthalpy of 111 J/g and 30.9 J/g,
respectively at peak melting temperatures of 28.1°C and 27.4°C.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.