ZnO@ZIF-8@SiO2-Modified Microencapsulated Phase Change Material Coating on Cotton Fabric with Radiative Cooling and Thermoregulation Capabilities

Combining phase change materials with textile materials is an important method to give textiles temperature regulation function. Herein, the microcapsulated phase change materials with ZnO@ZIF-8@SiO₂-doped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as hybrid shell (ZZS/PMMA MPCMs) were prepared through Pickering emulsion polymerization with n-octadecane (C18) as core and ZnO@ZIF-8@SiO₂ grafted with polyacrylic acid (MZZS) particles possessing radiation cooling performance as stabilizers. The effect of MZZS content on the morphology of phase change microcapsule, radiation cooling and temperature regulation properties of coated cotton fabrics was studied. The results indicated that when the MZZS content increased to 3.0 wt%, the prepared phase change microcapsule’s encapsulation efficiency was 50.34%, showing excellent latent heat storage and release properties. Furthermore, compared with the uncoated cotton fabric, the rising and dropping rate of the temperature of ZZS/PMMA MPCMs coated cotton fabric was much slower in different seasons, indicating excellent radiation cooling and temperature regulation performance.