The Production of a Smart Textile Using Trimethylolethane as the Phase Change Material

Recently, the need for a thermo-regulating fabric in the textile industry has motivated both researchers and scientists to explore this new type of smart fabric. This study aimed to develop a smart textile using a polyester fabric coated with microencapsulated trimethylolethane (TME) hydrate as the phase change material. The TME microcapsules were produced via in situ polymerization of melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) at varying emulsification times, stirring rates, and TME hydrate concentrations. A knife-over-roll coating method was incorporated, using polyester resin as the binder for the production of the smart fabric. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) were conducted to examine the chemical, morphological, and thermal characteristics of the microcapsules and the smart fabric, respectively. Results showed that the highest amount of microencapsulated TME phase change material obtained was 18.883 mg. FT-IR results confirmed the presence of TME hydrate and MUF resin in the microcapsule at 3300, 2870, 1148, and 1390 cm−1. The SEM results revealed an amorphous and rough surface of microcapsules. Furthermore, the DSC results demonstrated favorable thermal characteristics, measuring the latent heat storage capacities of the microcapsules before and after application to the fabric as 205.1674 J/g and 224.7318 J/g, respectively. Finally, the encapsulation efficiency was calculated as 64.715%, indicating potential fabric thermal storage applications.