Homeostatic Microfiber-Composed\nSynthetic Leathers\nwith Chemical Robustness and Undercooling Self-Regulation

Homeostatic microfiber leathers with temperature self-regulation\npromise broad applications, ranging from the apparel and automotive\ninterior industries to the home furnishing and healthcare industries.\nTemperature self-regulation is achieved by phase-change materials\ncontaining microcapsules introduced within the leathers. The introduction\nof <b>p</b>hase <b>c</b>hange <b>m</b>icrocapsules\n(PCMs) into microfiber leather faces two formidable challenges: (1)\nthe shell of microcapsules must remain chemically stable against alkalis\nand organic solvents; (2) PCMs possess the ability to reduce supercooling\nduring which latent heat is released, allowing for the precise and\ncontrollable release of latent heat. Here we present a high-performance\nhomeostatic microfiber-composed synthetic leather containing PCMs\nthat can address these two challenges, which not only demonstrate\nexceptional chemical robustness under alkaline conditions but also\noffer efficient and precise control over temperature fluctuation and\nlatent heat release by reducing supercooling. Titanium carbide (TiC)\nknown for its high thermal conductivity and alkali resistance has\nbeen selected as the shell material for the microcapsules, which can\neffectively resolve chemical stability issues. Meanwhile, the high\nthermal conductivity of TiC can be leveraged to enhance heterogeneous\nnucleation, thus narrowing the temperature range for latent heat release.\nThe resultant microfiber leather shows outstanding capabilities for\nadjustable thermal energy storage. Our studies offer an effective\napproach to create homeostatic microfiber-composed synthetic leathers\nwith chemical robustness and undercooling self-regulation, which would\nbe useful in the fields of the textile, biomedical, and healthcare\nindustries.