« Processing, Modeling and characterization of industrial mixtures of SEBS with phase change materials (PCM) to improve thermal comfort in orthopedic applications and childcare »


Abstract

Childcare and orthopedic are sectors that are growing in importance, where aspects such as comfort, flexibility, warmth, etc. are increasingly relevant. Liquid silicone-based rubber (LSR) is crucial in these sectors, offering interesting properties both technical and in terms of positive user perception.  However, the processing of these materials is more complex than the set of commonly used plastics and, in addition, due to its reticular nature it is a difficult material to recycle. 
The injection process is a process by which thermoplastic polymer materials are formed, which has considerable economic and technological importance. 
Under these assumptions, the main objective of this research is the development of materials for the orthopedic - child care sector from the use of reticular reversible nature materials (thermoplastic elastomers) that can be processed using conventional injection techniques and be able to provide a good thermal inertia for comfort, using microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs). 
For this purpose, it is proposed a set of blends of a system based on two commercial grades of SEBS (styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene block copolymer) thermoplastic elastomer with extreme hardness. This involves an approach with various partial objectives, such us the rheological characterization of the system (developing a model to predict behavior using simulation software), modeling the mechanical behavior of the mixtures, optimization of the processing of blends with PCM additives (analyzing the mechanical and thermal response) and the study of the thermal inertia to improve the comfort of these materials and their potential use in the industrial sectors mentioned as substitutes in the applications of liquid silicone injection.