Fabrication and Characterization of Electrospun Poly(acrylonitrile-co-vinylidene Chloride) Copolymer/Poly(n-tetradecyl acrylate-co-n-hexadecyl Acrylate) Sheath/Core Nanofiber-wrapped Thermo-regulated Filaments

Abstract

Thermo-regulated fibers, which contain phase change materials with a melting temperature close to human body temperature, have attracted great scientific attention. Nanofibers with poly(n-tetradecyl acrylate-co-n-hexadecyl acrylate) (poly(TDA-co-HDA)) as the core material and poly(acrylonitrileco-vinylidene chloride) (P(AN-co-VDC) as the sheath were successfully fabricated by coaxial electrostatic spinning technology. The synthesized fibers possessed a sheath/core structure with a melting temperature of approximately 28 °C and an enthalpy of 28 J/g. Coaxial electrostatic spinning was further used to fabricate core-spun yarns using graphene-added PHDA, P(TDA-co-HDA), and P(TDA-co-HDA) as core materials and P(AN-co-VDC) as the sheath to wrap modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/ poly(n-hexadecyl acrylate) (PHDA) thermo-regulated filaments. The resultant core yarns were completely wrapped by nanofibers, and the enthalpy was about 25 J/g. The fabricated yarns significantly increased the static air adsorption capacity. Infrared photos proved that these yarns improved the thermal insulation performance and prolonged the temperature-regulating period. Therefore, fabrics made of these yarns can act as novel smart materials for temperature-control applications.

Efficient and Secure Encapsulation of a Natural Phase Change Material in Nanofibers Using Coaxial Electrospinning for Sustainable Thermal Energy Storage

“…Natural and biocompatible phase change materials (PCMs) are essential candidates for renewable thermal energy storage, which can help mitigate the global energy crisis associated with climate change and sustainability regulations. – PCMs can absorb and release a large amount of latent heat via simple solid-to-liquid and liquid-to-solid physical phase transitions, respectively . In recent years, organic PCMs, including long-chain alkanes (paraffin), fatty acids, fatty alcohols, and polymers, have attracted significant interest because of their high latent heat of fusion, good thermochemical stability, noncorrosivity, and nontoxicity. – Organic PCMs are generally considered a better choice than the corrosive and unstable inorganic PCMs . Organic PCMs have been used in solar energy storage, industrial waste heat recovery, energy-efficient buildings, temperature-controlled packaging materials, thermo-regulated textiles, Li-ion battery thermal management, etc. – Among various organic PCMs, paraffin is the most widely used in industries because of its low cost and high latent heat .…”

“…The maximum octadecane loading in nanofibers reached 45%. Since then, many research groups have used coaxial electrospinning for encapsulating PCMs into nanofibers . However, the loadings of PCMs in nanofibers have remained relatively low, usually less than or close to 50% .…”

“… 5 In recent years, organic PCMs, including long-chain alkanes (paraffin), fatty acids, fatty alcohols, and polymers, have attracted significant interest because of their high latent heat of fusion, good thermochemical stability, noncorrosivity, and nontoxicity. 6 – 8 Organic PCMs are generally considered a better choice than the corrosive and unstable inorganic PCMs. 9 Organic PCMs have been used in solar energy storage, industrial waste heat recovery, energy-efficient buildings, temperature-controlled packaging materials, thermo-regulated textiles, Li-ion battery thermal management, etc.…”

“…Since then, many research groups have used coaxial electrospinning for encapsulating PCMs into nanofibers. 6 However, the loadings of PCMs in nanofibers have remained relatively low, usually less than or close to 50%. 33 The low loadings of PCMs using coaxial electrospinning are caused by the significant difference in core and sheath solutions’ spinnability and low compatibility.…”