Grafting Phase‐Change Materials Onto Nylon Fabric for Heat‐Responsive Textile and Their Endothermic Reaction

ABSTRACT In this study, a novel phase‐change fabric was fabricated by chemically grafting a phase‐change material (PCM) on nylon fabric (NF) for the management of human body temperature. The chemical grafting and endothermic reactions were conducted using different organic PCMs, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), fatty acid, and sugar alcohols. The fabricated NF–PEG demonstrated an endothermic reaction at 25°C–50°C, with a latent heat of 94.7 J/g. Consequently, when NF–PEG was applied to human skin, it exhibited noticeable heat buffering due to the large latent heat of the PCM, unlike existing polymer textiles. In other words, the fabricated phase‐change fabric demonstrates promise in contributing to the development of functional textiles for the thermal management of the human body.