Cotton fabric containing photochromic microcapsules combined thermal energy storage features

Reversible photochromic microencapsulated phase change materials (RP-PCMs) not only possess color-changing performance under sunshine/UV, but also can adsorb, store or release amount of latent heat under certain temperature. A novel RP-PCMs were incorporated into cotton fabric by adopting the water-soluble polyurethane (WPU) as a medium. The combination of cotton fiber and RP-PCMs enabled cotton fiber with photochromic & thermo-regulated properties. Natural nontoxic biomaterial chitosan was selected as the raw material of RP-PCMs shell, providing favorable conditions for its further application in cotton fabric. Comprehensive analysis has shown that RP-PCMs was successfully integrated into cotton fabric. The thermal performance, thermal stability and thermo-regulated property of cotton fabric/WPU/RP-PCMs were systematically researched. Photochromic features were also investigated. The thermo-regulated property of cotton fabric/WPU/RP-PCMs was demonstrated through infrared camera indicating that the cotton fabric/WPU/RP-PCMs presented promising application in the flexible photochromic clothing field.

Automated summary

In this study, reversible photochromic microencapsulated phase change materials (RP-PCMs) were successfully incorporated into cotton fabric, enabling the fabric to have photochromic and thermo-regulated properties. The thermal performance and stability of the fabric were analyzed, and the fabric demonstrated promising application in the field of flexible photochromic clothing, as shown by infrared camera observation.