Insight into Color Change of Reversible Thermochromic Systems and Their Incorporation into Textile Coating

Dynamic color and phase change of chosen thermochromic systems were deeply investigated and their incorporation into polyurethane textile coating was developed. The colorimetric properties of three commercial reversible leuco dyes-based thermochromic pigments (TPs) with activation temperature at 38, 50, and 60 degrees C were studied. Color change as a function of temperature was evaluated and colorimetric values were related to phase transition temperatures via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement. Light fastness of commercial TPs in polyurethane coating was determined by accelerated aging measurement and the color stability has been improved by using ultraviolet absorber (UVA). This research opens new possibilities for smart textiles, which is a very promising field in high-technology materials.