Enhanced thermal performance of garments embedded with encapsulated phase change material

The thermal storage and insulation properties of garments enhanced with phase change material (PCM) will be investigated using a finite difference procedure. A diver dry suit embedded with micro-encapsulated PCM will be shown to enhance thermal protection under extreme temperature conditions. Under conditions of high body heat production a garment embedded with Macro-encapsulated PCM is shown to absorb excess heat while maintaining a relatively constant temperature

Surface-Relief Gratings and Stable Birefringence Inscribed Using Light of Broad Spectral Range in Supramolecular Polymer-Bisazobenzene Complexes

We report on phenol-pyridine hydrogen-bonded supramolecular polymer-azobenzene complexes made from a newly designed polar bisazobenzene chromophore. Because of the substitution with a polar nitro group, the chromophore possesses an extremely broad absorption band, spanning from near-UV up to 650 nm. Moreover, the inclusion of two methoxy groups to the central benzene ring prevents excessive chromophore-chromophore intermolecular interactions and provides advantageous size-related properties. Together, these features of the prepared photoresponsive polymer materials enable efficient inscription of (i) photoinduced birefringence with outstanding stability at various chromophore concentrations and (ii) surface-relief grating formation over a wide range of writing wavelengths from 405 to 633 nm. The photoresponsive behavior is compared to that of Disperse Yellow 7-based supramolecular complexes.</p