Fabrication and characterization of nanoencapsulated PCM-doped cotton/PAN nanofiber based composite yarns for thermoregulation

Abstract

The primary challenge in developing intelligent thermo-regulating yarns is effectively integrating phase change materials (PCMs) to optimize thermoregulation without compromising textile integrity. This study investigates the thermal and mechanical properties of cotton core yarns doped with phase change material (PCM) nanocapsules and coated with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers. Thermoregulation measurements were performed using a specially designed test apparatus to simulate the human body. T-History measurements conducted in hot and cold environments revealed that the presence of PCM in the yarn structure led to a significant reduction in surface temperatures in hot environments, with temperature differences reaching up to 3.5 °C compared to undoped cotton yarns. Conversely, in cold environments, yarns containing PCM exhibited slower heating and higher surface temperatures, with differences of up to 1.2 °C compared to undoped yarns. The addition of PAN nanofiber coatings enhanced thermal response during heating, although the presence of PCM mitigated some of this effect, particularly in core-shell structured yarns. The thermoregulation results, simulating human body conditions, showed that yarns containing PCM effectively maintained body heat balance during temperature fluctuations. Tensile tests revealed that the incorporation of PCM nanoparticles generally increased yarn tenacity values by up to 15 %, while breaking elongation values were influenced by the presence of PCM nanoparticles and PAN nanofibers in the yarn structure. These findings provide valuable insights into the complex interaction between PCM doping, PAN nanofiber coating, and the thermal and mechanical properties of composite yarns, offering potential for the development of advanced textile materials with tailored thermoregulation capabilities.