Phase-change temperature-controlled fiber

Abstract

We provide a phase-change temperature-regulating fiber. [Solution] The phase-change temperature-controlled fiber comprises a base material 1 and a phase-change material 2 dispersed within the base material. The base material forms a continuous phase structure, and the phase-change material is dispersed within the base material in the form of nano-sized particles to form a dispersed phase structure. Furthermore, the phase-change material forms a restricted space structure within the base material, and can also form a multi-stage restricted structure. The mass percentage of the phase-change material in the fiber is 30% to 70%. This structure allows the phase-change material to be stably distributed within the fiber, making migration or leakage less likely, improving the usability of the material, and making it applicable to the field of functional fiber materials.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of fiber materials, and specifically to phase change temperature regulating fibers.

Background Art

[0002] Phase change temperature regulating fibers are high-functional fibers that automatically sense changes in the external environmental temperature and intelligently regulate the temperature. The main purpose of such fibers is to improve the comfort of clothing. Fabrics made of such fibers can absorb, store, redistribute, and release heat. When the environmental temperature is low, the temperature inside the fabric can be automatically increased, and when the environmental temperature is high, the temperature inside the fabric can be automatically decreased, thus maintaining the temperature inside the fabric within a more comfortable range.

[0003] Heat storage and temperature regulating fibers using phase change materials can maintain the temperature around the fibers at a certain level by absorbing heat when the environmental temperature is higher than the phase change point and releasing heat when the environmental temperature is lower than the phase change point. Such performance is not possessed by natural fibers or ordinary chemical fibers, and it is expected to bring new changes to future life. As relatively mature manufacturing methods for heat storage and temperature regulating fiber products, there are coating processing methods, composite spinning methods, microcapsule spinning methods, and the like.

[0004] However, fabrics made of temperature regulating fibers have problems such as the medium having the temperature regulating function being likely to flow out during daily use and the washing process, resulting in a decrease or loss of the temperature regulating function, and also having poor wash resistance. Therefore, there is a strong demand for the development of temperature regulating fibers that can effectively maintain the temperature regulating function over a long period.

[0005] As a novel fiber material, phase change temperature regulating fabrics can form a "microenvironment like air conditioning" for the human body near the phase change temperature, reducing discomfort caused by changes in the environmental temperature, and are widely applied in fields such as clothing, outdoor supplies, and bedding, and their application prospects are extremely broad.

[0006] Phase-change fibers are obtained by adding a phase-change material to a base material during the spinning process. To prevent leakage of the phase-change material during the spinning process, subsequent storage, and use, conventional methods involve sealing the phase-change material before spinning. Currently, there are mainly three methods for sealing phase-change materials, each with its own set of drawbacks.

[0007] The first method is a porous adsorption method. This method utilizes the capillary action, surface tension, and physical adsorption properties of a porous material to immobilize the phase-change material 2 within the porous framework, forming a phase-change composite 3. This composite 3 is then added to the base material 1 during spinning. However, since the porous framework itself does not possess heat storage capacity, the heat storage capacity of the phase-change composite 3 is lower than that of the phase-change material 2 alone for the same weight. Furthermore, the average particle size of the phase-change composite 3 is approximately 1-10 μm, which affects spinnability; therefore, its content in the fiber is usually limited to 15% or less. As a result, a problem arises where the phase-change enthalpy is low and the heat storage capacity is insufficient.

[0008] The second method is the microcapsule method. A phase-change material 2 that undergoes a liquid-to-solid phase transition is surrounded by a wall material made of polymer or inorganic material to form a microcapsule 4 having a micron-sized core-shell structure, and this phase-change microcapsule 4 is added to the base material 1 during spinning. A disadvantage of this method is that the wall material of the microcapsule 4 does not contribute to heat storage, so the heat storage capacity per unit weight is lower than that of the phase-change material 2 alone. Also, the particle size of the microcapsules is about 1 μm and does not reach nano-size, so the content in the fiber is usually limited to 15% or less. Furthermore, there is a problem that the microcapsules are damaged by high temperatures or mechanical action during the spinning process, and the phase-change material 2 leaks out, further reducing the heat storage capacity.

[0009] The third method is polymer crosslinking. In this method, the phase change material 2 is bonded to polymer chains by methods such as chemical crosslinking, grafting, or copolymerization to form a three-dimensional network structure 5, which is then added during spinning. However, the crosslinking points and skeletal structure do not contribute to heat storage, and in many cases solid-solid phase change materials are used, resulting in lower heat storage capacity compared to the phase change material 2 alone. Furthermore, although the proportion of the phase change network structure in the fiber can reach up to about 30%, the polymer chains are prone to oxidation or decomposition in high-temperature environments, making it unsuitable for high-temperature spinning or melt processing.

[0010] The phase-change fibers obtained by combining the phase-change intermediate obtained by the above method with a base material typically have a heat storage capacity of 20 J / g or less. Furthermore, the phase-change material is prone to leakage and loss during daily storage or use, which not only continuously reduces the heat storage capacity but also contaminates the fabric surface and adversely affects wearability and performance. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve a truly effective temperature control function. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] Chinese Utility Model Registration No. 206357744U [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0012] In light of the shortcomings of prior art, this invention provides a phase-change temperature-regulating fiber, aiming to solve the problems of conventional phase-change fibers, such as low heat storage capacity, easy leakage of phase-change material, and insufficient temperature regulation effect. Furthermore, the fiber has high latent heat, allowing it to withstand processing steps such as weaving, dyeing, and finishing without losing its latent heat capacity, enabling highly efficient and stable temperature control through heat absorption and release over a long period of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] Phase change temperature control fiber, The substrate and the phase change material dispersed in the substrate, The substrate forms a continuous phase structure, The phase change material is dispersed inside the substrate in the form of nano-sized particles to form a dispersed phase structure. Furthermore, the dispersed phase of the phase-change material forms a restricted space structure within the substrate.

[0014] Base material 1 is one or more selected from the group consisting of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS), polylactic acid (PLA), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polybutene (PB), polycarbonate (PC), polybutyl acrylate (PBA), polyacrylic acid (PAA), polyethyl methacrylate (PEMA), acrylate copolymer, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The weight percentage of base material 1 in the fibers is 30% to 70%.

[0015] Phase change material 2 is obtained by specially processing an organic phase change matrix polymer material and then subjecting it to multi-stage nano-restriction treatment, controlling its size to the 10-nanometer range. The weight percentage of phase change material 2 in the fiber is 30% to 70%.

[0016] In the phase-change fiber of this invention, the phase-change material 2 used undergoes a multi-stage nano-restriction treatment after special processing, resulting in a size of 10 nm. This allows the content ratio in the fiber to be 30% to 70% without impairing the fiber performance. Therefore, the heat storage value can reach 20 to 120 J / g, which is far higher than other phase-change temperature-controlled fibers. The nano-sizing treatment significantly reduces the fluidity of the phase-change material 2, making it less likely to leak out, and the heat storage capacity does not decrease during the fiber's use. Furthermore, since the nano-sized phase-change material is resistant to high temperatures and less likely to break down, the range of selectable base materials 1 is also broadened.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] [Figure 1] It is a structural schematic diagram of the phase change fiber according to the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a structural schematic diagram of the phase change fiber manufactured by the conventional porous adsorption method. [Figure 3] It is a structural schematic diagram of the phase change fiber manufactured by the conventional microcapsule encapsulation technology. [Figure 4] It is a structural schematic diagram of the phase change fiber manufactured by the conventional polymer cross-linking technology.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Example 1 Polyamide was selected as the base material, and the occupancy rate in the phase change fiber was set to 50%. The nano-sized phase change material 2 obtained by multi-stage nano-confinement treatment has an occupancy rate of 50% in the fiber. With such a structure, phase change nylon fibers with a heat storage value of 70 J / g were obtained. The phase change fibers showed a heat storage value of 69 J / g even after being washed with water. The comparative fiber is the phase change nylon fiber produced by the above method, and the occupancy rate of the phase change microcapsules in the fiber is 10%. The heat storage value before washing with water was 15 J / g, and the heat storage value after washing with water was 5 J / g.

[0019] These two types of fibers were made into fabrics respectively, placed in a constant temperature bath with an initial environment of 5°C, then heated to 35°C, and the fabric surface was continuously recorded using an infrared thermal imaging camera. As a result, the rising speed of the fabric surface temperature of the present invention was low, and the maximum surface temperature difference from the fabric made of the phase change fiber obtained by the above method at the same time was ΔT = 7.2°C. Furthermore, as a result of measuring Qmax for the two fabrics, Qmax of the fabric made of the phase change fiber of this example was 0.53, and Qmax of the fabric made of the phase change fiber obtained by the above method was 0.4. The above experimental results indicate that the phase change fibers obtained in this example not only enable continuous heat absorption but also greatly improve the contact cold feeling and the persistent cold feeling.

[0020] Example 2 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was selected as the substrate, and the occupancy rate in the phase change fibers was set to 37%. The nano-sized phase change material obtained by multi-stage nano-confinement treatment has an occupancy rate of 65% in the fibers. With such a structure, phase change polyester fibers with a heat storage value of 45 J / g were obtained. The phase change fibers showed a heat storage value of 45 J / g even after being washed with water.

[0021] The fabric made of the phase change polyester fibers of this example was placed in an environment of 5°C → 37°C, and heating and cooling tests were conducted to observe its temperature buffering effect. The comparison object with this example is a normal polyester fabric. As a result, in the heating stage, the rising rate of the surface temperature of the fabric in this example was low, and the maximum temperature difference from the normal fabric was ΔT = 5.5°C, indicating that the structural phase change material showed a heat absorption delay effect. On the other hand, in the cooling stage, the decreasing rate of the surface temperature of the fabric made of the phase change fibers in this example was relatively slow, and the maximum temperature difference from the normal fabric was ΔT = 7.8°C, indicating that the latent heat release inside the material effectively delayed the temperature decrease trend.

Explanation of symbols

[0022] 1 Substrate 2 Phase change material 3 Phase change composite 4 Microcapsule 5 Phase change network structure

Claims

1. Phase change temperature control fiber, The substrate comprises a base material and a phase change material dispersed in the base material. The substrate constitutes a continuous phase, The phase change material is in particulate form and is arranged inside the substrate. Each of the aforementioned phase-change material particles is individually surrounded by the substrate. A phase-change temperature-regulating fiber characterized by the following features.

2. The phase change temperature control fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that the phase change material particles are nano-sized.

3. The phase change temperature control fiber according to claim 2, characterized in that the phase change material particles are arranged at intervals from one another.

4. The phase-change temperature-controlling fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the base material has a continuous phase structure consisting of one or more of the following: high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS), polylactic acid (PLA), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polybutene (PB), polycarbonate (PC), polybutyl acrylate (PBA), polyacrylic acid (PAA), polyethyl methacrylate (PEMA), acrylate copolymer, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).

5. The phase change temperature control fiber according to claim 4, characterized in that the mass ratio of the phase change material is 30% to 70%, and the mass ratio of the base material is 30% to 70%.

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