Electrospun composite fibers containing organic phase change materials for thermo-regulation: Trends

Thermal management technologies that offer the capability of controlling a system's temperature within a range are needed for a very large set of applications, from electronic circuitry to battery technologies, mechanical systems, and fabrics, to name a few. Phase change materials (PCM), which release/absorb energy during a phase transition, are a potential solution to overcome some thermal management challenges. The encapsulation of PCM necessary for their containment during the phase transformation has been done by multiple techniques. Electrospinning is a very common and effective method to incorporate the PCM into polymeric fibers, however, there is a gap in the current literature regarding reviews that focus solely on electrospun fibers containing PCM. Thus, this review attempts to summarize the trends found regarding the use of electrospinning techniques to generate fiber - organic PCM composites. The most commonly employed organic PCM substances, host polymeric matrices, loadings, and typical variables employed during their manufacturing are presented. Trends regarding material selection, enthalpies of fusion and transformation temperatures of the composites are summarized and discussed. To assist with estimation of the cost-benefit of selecting specific PCM and fiber material combinations, approximate pricing data was gathered from open sources and general comparisons were included.