Air-Permeable Sponge Coating with Phase Change Materials
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sponges used in daily articles like mattresses and pillows lack air permeability, leading to a hot and uncomfortable feeling, especially in hot and humid weather, due to non-porous surface coatings that compromise their cooling effect.
Innovation Solution
An air-permeable sponge composition with a sponge body and a porous coating, containing isocyanate, phase change materials, polyether polyol, and polymeric polyol, which provides both ice-cold tactility and improved air permeability, ensuring a strong bond between the coating and the sponge body for increased durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a coating is applied on the sponge body to increase ice-cold tactility, then the initial cooling effect is improved, but the air permeability of the sponge deteriorates due to non-porous structure
Solution Approach 1:
The coating layer is designed with a porous structure containing pores with a diameter of 1-100 μm, allowing air to pass through while maintaining the coating's integrity. This porous structure enables the coating to provide ice-cold tactility through phase change materials while simultaneously maintaining air permeability to prevent heat buildup and fuggy feeling during prolonged use.
Solution Approach 2:
The coating is formulated as a composite material containing phase change materials (such as paraffin, microcapsules, or eutectic salts) dispersed within a porous polymer matrix. This composite structure allows the coating to exhibit both the thermal regulation properties of phase change materials and the breathability of porous structures, resolving the contradiction between cooling effect and air permeability.
2Temperature
If multiple layers (insulation layer, gel layer, protection layer) are added to enhance cooling effect, then the ice-cold tactility is improved, but the structural complexity increases and air permeability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple functions into a single integrated coating layer. Instead of separate insulation layer, gel layer, and protection layer, the coating simultaneously provides thermal regulation (through phase change materials), structural protection, and breathability (through porous structure). This consolidation reduces structural complexity while maintaining or enhancing the cooling effect.
3Temperature
If a dense coating is applied to improve ice-cold tactility, then the cooling effect is enhanced, but the bond strength and durability are reduced due to poor adhesion
Solution Approach 1:
The porous structure of the coating creates mechanical interlocking with the sponge body substrate. The pores allow the coating to penetrate slightly into the sponge surface and form anchor points, significantly enhancing adhesion. Additionally, the porous structure reduces internal stress during phase change cycles, preventing coating delamination and improving long-term durability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The air-permeable sponge effectively absorbs heat from the body, maintaining a cool feel over time while ensuring air permeability and a strong bond between the coating and the sponge, enhancing user comfort and extending the product's lifespan.
Implementation Method 1
the phase change material comprises paraffin, non-paraffin wax, crystalline hydrated salt or eutectic salt; the phase change material is evenly distributed in the framework during the reactions to achieve a homogeneity. The phase change material is an energy storage material whose physical properties change with temperature so as to release or absorb latent heat.
Implementation Method 2
When the phase change material undergoes a phase change, latent heat of phase change is released or absorbed, and an ice-cold tactility object is achieved by utilizing a phase change material to absorb heat from a human body
Implementation Method 3
the prepared sponge simultaneously has a good air permeability while it has ice-cold tactility; the air-permeable coating and sponge body have the same contents of isocyanate, polyether polyol and polymeric polyol, so that the bond strength between the air-permeable coating and the sponge body is larger
Data Source
AI summary
An air-permeable sponge composition and a method for preparing an air-permeable sponge by using the same belong to the field of articles for daily use. An air-permeable sponge composition includes a sponge body and an air-permeable coating, and an outer surface layer of the sponge body being coated with the air-permeable coating. A method for making the air-permeable sponge utilizes the composition of the air-permeable sponge, wherein the air-permeable sponge is made from the air-permeable sponge composition under specific process parameters. The sponge body and air-permeable coating have the same or similar contents of isocyanate, polyether polyol and polymeric polyol and a similar porous structure.