Marks & Spencer introduces climate control clothing
22 Apr '08
3 min read
And Marks & Spencer reveals: In spring/summer 2008 the innovative °Climate Control concept with the practical added value should reach other product groups.
The PCM technology But what are PCMs? The principle is simply demonstrated. Looking at phase change materials (PCM) two well-known technologies are successfully combined: On the one hand is the microencapsulation, as known from the chewing-gum inside which microcapsules are embedded.
While chewing the shell is destroyed, and the taste is released. Another example: perfume probes in magazines. The microcapsules being destroyed while rubbing on the paper, as the smell is released.
The difference in Outlast materials: Microcapsules are also used, but the shell is stable and doesn't get ruined. The capsules are very tiny: Around 1,000 fit on the head of a pin (ca. 3 million per cm²).
Inside the patented microcapsules, called Outlast Thermocules, substances similar to paraffin are stored, which are capable of phase change.
This simple physical principle is well-known to everyone, example H2O: Water becomes ice or vapour when energy is added or taken away. PCM technology takes advantage of exactly this same law of physics.
The advantages of Outlast Adaptive Comfort products on a glance: • Adaptation to body temperature • Less overheating • Less sweating • Less chill • Active temperature regulation.