Phase change material based cooling wearables for personal thermal management

Phase change material based cooling wearables for personal thermal management

Materials Today Chemistry

10.1016/j.mtchem.2025.103258

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtchem.2025.103258

Xiang Yun Debbie Soo, Ming Hui Chua, Suxi Wang, Warintorn Thitsartarn, Fuke Wang, Junhua Kong, Rong Ji, Dan Kai, Pei Wang, Jianwei Xu, Xian Jun Loh, Qiang Zhu

13 December 2025

Soo, X. Y. D., Chua, M. H., Wang, S., Thitsartarn, W., Wang, F., Kong, J., Ji, R., Kai, D., Wang, P., Xu, J., Loh, X. J., & Zhu, Q. (2026). Phase change material based cooling wearables for personal thermal management. Materials Today Chemistry, 51, 103258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtchem.2025.103258

Phase change materials (PCMs) have emerged as a promising solution for wearable thermal management, offering passive cooling through the absorption and release of latent heat during phase transitions. Their ability to maintain near-constant temperatures makes them particularly suitable for regulating body heat in dynamic environments. This review provides a comprehensive overview of PCM-based wearable technologies, covering direct insertion into wearable gears, indirect incorporation into textiles and fibers, hybrid systems combining PCMs with active and passive cooling strategies, and intelligent multifunctional PCM systems capable of on-demand thermal regulation. Key challenges including limited cooling duration, recharging requirements, wearer’s comfort, breathability, adaptability to different climates, sustainable production, and manufacturing complexity are analysed. Market adoption considerations, such as cost, durability, and wearability, are also discussed. Future research directions emphasize the development of high latent heat solid–solid PCMs, energy-efficient and hybrid PCM cooling designs, intelligent and multifunctional PCM systems with embedded electronics, sustainable PCM wearables, and advanced manufacturing approaches such as 3D printing for precise PCM placement and optimized thermal performance. This review provides insights into current PCM wearable technologies, highlights critical research gaps, and guides future innovations for more effective, comfortable, and sustainable personal thermal management solutions.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

This research / project is supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore - NRF Investigatorship
Grant Reference no. : NRF-NRFI07–2021–0003

https://oar.a-star.edu.sg/communities-collections/articles/22703

2468-5194

Institute of Materials Research and Engineering