48 new materials - Material ConneXion

MATERIAL PROFILE
24
SMART FABRICS
The Next Generation
by Dr. Cynthia Tyler
Smart fabrics are gaining momentum as the
technology finally makes it out of the laboratory
and becomes relevant to a variety of industries
where energy savings and human well being are
important.
The recent Intertech Smart Fabrics Conference
in Miami Beach, Florida, was devoted to smart
fabrics, materials that respond to or interact with
electrical or environmental stimuli such as heat,
humidity, UV, or pressure. The diverse audience
included scientists and engineers from corporations,
start-ups, and academia; textile companies
seeking potential partners; investment banks
and venture capital firms desiring to profit from
this emerging field; product designers, and representatives
from the military. For those of you
who couldn’t make it, here are a few highlights.
Phase Change Material
Textile Testing & Innovation LLC presented a
durable salt hydrate phase change material. Its
name may seem complicated, but this material
could reduce gas consumption, a feat we can all
appreciate.
Phase change materials (PCMs) require a large
amount of energy to change their state from
solid to liquid. When solid PCMs turn liquid, they
draw much more energy (or heat) out of their
surroundings than do regular materials. Because
they take heat away without soon becoming hot
themselves, they have a cooling effect.
Incorporating PCMs into cars’ seats, headliners,
and instrument panels would reduce dependency
on air conditioning systems, which use up a
lot of gas. In the United States alone, the estimated
savings are expected to exceed 522 million
gallons of fuel per year. Cooling by PCMs
should also be gentler on interior materials;
in addition, PCMs insulate against sound.
Simple. Elegant.
Photo: © Sauquoit Industries, LLC.