Phase Change Materials for the Improvement of Heat Protection

The use of phase change materials (PCM) that absorb and store heat by an aggregate state change for applications in fire fighters' protective clothing was studied. PCM can help improve the heat protection of the clothing combination, and thus contribute to a reduction of the weight of the equipment and an improvement of the wearing comfort. It was found that PCM have a positive effect on heat protection, but the efficiency of the heat absorption depends on the location of the PCM layer and the incident heat intensity. Furthermore, as the PCM used was made of paraffin, its burning behavior has to be improved for a commercial use in fire fighters' protective clothing.