Development of thermo-regulating smart textiles and investigation of their performance properties

Phase change materials (PCMs) are smart materials which can respond to ambient temperature. They provide cooling or heating by absorbing or releasing the heat that they store during phase change. This feature makes PCMs to be used in thermal energy storage systems, building materials, solar systems, thermal management of electronics and in functional textiles such as space textiles, protective textiles and home textiles. Research studies on novel materials and their application methods to textiles have been progressing. In this thesis work, bio-based coconut oil and its blend with n-octadecane which have high heat storage capacity were utilized in textiles as PCM for thermo-regulation. The core PCM was microencapsulated using various shell materials and encapsulation methods, then implemented to woven and nonwoven textiles. Organic coconut oil and its blend with n-octadecane were used as the core; melamine formaldehyde, methyl methacrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, glycidyl methacrylate, sodium alginate and gelatin were used as shell materials in the developed microcapsules. The microcapsules were synthesized by in-situ, suspension, emulsion polymerization and coacervation methods. They were characterized by DSC, FT-IR, TGA and SEM analyses. The microcapsules, which were found to be applicable to textiles, were implemented to cotton and cotton-elastane woven fabrics by coating, padding and exhaustion methods; to nonwoven textiles by coating and composite applications. The treated fabrics were examined by DSC and SEM analyses to determine their properties of thermal energy storage, durability to washing and morphology. Tear strength, air permeability and thermographic temperatures of untreated and treated fabrics were also assessed.