Preparation of coated thermo-regulating textiles using Rubitherm-RT31 microcapsules

Spherical microcapsules with a 49 wt % of Rubitherm (R) RT31 were successfully synthesized by means of suspension-like polymerization to be used for textile applications in summer conditions. Microcapsules were fixed into seven fabric substrates for different textile applications by a coating technique without deteriorating original functionalities of the textiles. Thermal performance of different coated textiles with 35 wt % of microcapsules was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and infrared thermography (IR) techniques and the physical characteristics of textiles with thermo-regulating properties were examined by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). It was observed that all treated textile substrates allow to obtain thermo-regulating properties with acceptable latent heat storage capacities. Results also indicated that the presence of microcapsules containing Rubitherm (R) RT31 produces a significant thermal insulation effect during a cold to warm transition (2045 degrees C). Thus, this kind of microcapsules can be used to obtain textiles with thermal comfort-related properties. (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011