Development of thermoregulating textile materials with microencapsulated phase change materials (PCM). IV. Performance properties and hand of fabrics treated with PCM microcapsules

Polyester knit fabrics were treated with phase‐change‐material microcapsules by a pad–dry–cure method with a polyurethane binder. The treated fabrics were evaluated in terms of the thermal properties, air permeability, moisture vapor permeability, moisture regain, low‐stress mechanical properties, and hand, with respect to the add‐on of microcapsules. The surface morphology of the treated fabrics was investigated with scanning electron microscopy. The low‐stress mechanical properties of the treated fabrics, including the tensile, shear, bending, surface, and compression properties, were measured with the Kawabata evaluation system for fabrics (KES‐FB). As the add‐on increased, the heat storage capacity of the treated fabrics increased. The treated fabric with 22.9% add‐on was capable of absorbing 4.44 J/g of heat. The air permeability and moisture vapor permeability decreased, whereas the moisture regain increased, with an increase in the add‐on. The tensile linearity and geographical roughness increased, whereas the resilience, bending, and shear properties decreased with an increase in the add‐on. The fabrics became stiffer, less smooth, and less full as the add‐on increased, and thus the total hand value decreased. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 910–915, 2005