Abstract:

Objective In order to address the limitations of traditional clothing in temperature regulation and meet the higher demand for thermal comfort in contemporary society, this research develops smart textiles with temperature-regulating, flame-retardant, and anti-static functions. The research focused on effectively combining textile materials with phase change microcapsules (PCMs) to endow textiles with the ability to store and release heat, thereby achieving bidirectional temperature regulation.

Method The study involved three main steps. First, viscose fibers with temperature-regulating functions were prepared by mixing phase change microcapsules with viscose fiber spinning solutions and using a wet spinning process. Second, these fibers were blended with intrinsic flame-retardant fibers (acrylic chlorine, aramid 1313, and flame-retardant viscose) through a ring spinning process to produce temperature-regulating flame-retardant yarns. Finally, these yarns were combined with polyamide conductive yarns to create intelligent yarns with flame-retardant, anti-static, and temperature-regulating properties, which were then woven into fabrics using a semi-automatic loom.

Results The blended fibers obtained by combining phase change microcapsule-viscose fibers with intrinsic flame-retardant fibers through ring spinning exhibited an obvious flame-retardant synergistic effect. The optimal fiber ratio was determined to be 30% phase change microcapsule-viscose fibers, 20% flame-retardant viscose, and 50% aramid 1313. The 33 ℃ temperature-regulating flame-retardant yarn combined with polyamide conductive yarn showed better performance in textile applications compared to the 28 ℃ temperature-regulating flame-retardant yarn. The surface morphology analysis revealed that the phase change microcapsule-viscose fibers had a rough surface with distinct longitudinal groove structures due to the stretching during the wet spinning process. The composite yarns and fabrics exhibited good appearance characteristics. The thermoregulation performance analysis showed that both 28 ℃ and 33 ℃ phase change composite fabrics had bidirectional temperature regulation capabilities. The 33 ℃ phase change composite fabric had a higher temperature regulation range and greater latent heat of fusion and crystallization, indicating stronger temperature regulation ability. The flame retardancy analysis demonstrated that both composite fabrics met the national standard requirements for B-level flame-retardant protective clothing. The 33 ℃ phase change composite fabric showed better flame retardancy, with no after-flame or smoldering during the test, and the damage length was less than 100 mm. The char residue analysis indicated that the dense char structure formed during combustion effectively inhibited heat and smoke release, contributing to the flame-retardant performance. The anti-static performance analysis revealed that both phase change composite fabrics met the national standard requirements for anti-static clothing, with point-to-point resistance values below the specified upper limit, indicating good charge dissipation ability. The 33 ℃ composite fabric exhibited better anti-static performance with lower resistance values.

Conclusion This research successfully developed a multi-functional intelligent textiles with bidirectional temperature regulation, flame-retardant, and anti-static performance. The textiles were prepared by optimizing the blending ratio of phase change microcapsule-viscose fibers with different flame-retardant fibers and combining them with polyamide conductive yarns. The results showed that the developed textile had good thermoregulation, flame-retardant, and anti-static performance, meeting national standards and demonstrating significant potential for application in industries such as petroleum, chemical engineering, and fire protection. The study provides a new solution for improving safety and comfort in these fields and offers valuable insights for future research and development in intelligent textiles.

Key words: multifunctional fabric, phase change microcapsule, viscose fiber, intelligent temperature-regulation textiles, flame-retardant, anti-static, intelligent yarn