Composition and Characterization of Thermoregulated Fiber Containing Acrylic-Based Copolymer Microencapsulated Phase-Change Materials (MicroPCMs)

We microencapsulated n -octadecane with acrylic-based copolymer shell and subsequently treated the obtained microcapsules under high temperature and pressure. The effects on morphology and thermal stability of the microcapsules were investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Polyethylene fiber matrixes embedded with microencapsulated phase-change materials (microPCMs) were obtained by melting spinning. Alginate fiber containing microPCMs were spun with a wet-spinning method, and the concerted metal ion complexation of alginate matrix and microPCMs shell was discussed. In the end, the core–sheath structure thermoregulated fibers were fabricated, which were composed of alginate fiber embedded with microPCMs as core and polyurethane as sheath. The morphology, structure, and thermal properties of these thermoregulated fibers were also investigated in this paper present.