Thermal performance of electrospun core-shell phase change fibrous layers at simulated body conditions

Solvent-Assisted Nanochannel Encapsulation of a Natural Phase Change Material in Polystyrene Hollow Fibers for High-Performance Thermal Energy Storage

“…Coupled with inorganic PCMs (e.g., oxides), paraffin waxes were embedded into fibrous materials of smart textiles such as sleeping bags, coats, gloves, and shoes to achieve enhanced thermoregulating performance for outdoor activity. − As a class of biodegradable and biocompatible PCMs, natural fatty acids were applied as a switch for temperature-controlled release of therapeutics. , Since PCMs lose their mechanical strength or shape stability during the melting process, they must be encapsulated in physically strong and chemically stable shells to form form-stabilized structures for thermal energy charging and discharging . To this end, PCMs have been encapsulated into many organic and inorganic materials including polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, poly­(vinylpyrrolidone), poly­(methyl methacrylate), cellulose, cellulose acetate, carbon nanotubes, graphene, boron nitride, silica, titania, and alumina. ,− To obtain the most efficient thermal energy storage performance, the composite PCMs should have a porous three-dimensional skeleton for rapid heat transfer, a large specific surface area for improved thermal conductivity, and an excellent shape stability for leakage prevention …”

“…Recently, electrospinning has been proven to be an effective technique for encapsulating PCMs into nanofibers . Owing to their large surface area, high porosity, and superior physical strength, the nanofiber-stabilized PCMs demonstrated a higher thermal energy storage capacity and a better thermal energy charging and discharging performance than other forms of PCMs (e.g., microcapsules). , PCMs have been encapsulated into nanofibers through uniaxial electrospinning of a mixture containing PCMs to generate composite fibers and coaxial electrospinning to make core-sheath fibers with PCMs as the core. ,− Our group encapsulated lauric acid (LA) into polystyrene (PS) fibers by the uniaxial electrospinning method . The nanofiber PCMs had a 78.4% thermal energy storage capacity of pure LA owing to the lightweight and the porous PS matrix and the high LA loading.…”

A review on emerging developments in thermal and moisture management by membrane‐based clothing systems towards personal comfort

“…185 Coaxial electrospinning is a facile strategy for loading PCM in submicron fibers, resulting in a thermoregulatory fibrous membrane. 186 Haghighat et al 187 compared the thermoregulating performance of electrospun fibrous membranes containing hexadecane and octadecane. The results indicated that in contrast to the mean gradient temperature and the cooling rate, no remarkable discrepancy was observed in the values of mean temperature difference obtained for various PCM-containing samples.…”

Development of a sweating thermal skin simulant for heat transfer evaluation of clothed human body under radiant heat hazard

“…Human-centred thermal systems, e.g., heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems [1,2], phase change materials (PCMs) [3,4] and thermal protection systems [5][6][7] are common technologies to improve thermal comfort and/or avoid heat injuries to the human body. In the design and research of these technologies, the manikin test is one of the main methods to examine new concepts, optimize design parameters, and assess system performance [8].…”

“…Yoo et al [12] evaluated the heating and cooling effects of four-layer PCM garments by measuring temperature changes in the air layers of the microclimate within clothing using a human-clothing-environment simulator. By using a skinclothing-environment system, Haghighat et al [3] predicted the thermoregulating performance of the core-shell fibrous layers containing PCM under body conditions. A numerical thermal manikin was used to evaluate the airflow in the compartment to assess human thermal comfort under an HVAC system [1].…”