Photothermal phase change materials for wearable thermal management and intelligent healthcare
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Photothermal phase change materials (PCMs) are emerging as one kind of multifunctional wearable energy materials that integrate latent-heat storage with solar-to-thermal conversion, electrothermal heating, radiative regulation, and intelligent sensing. Unlike conventional PCMs, wearable photothermal PCMs should simultaneously satisfy thermal performance, flexibility, breathability, leakage resistance, cycling stability, and skin compatibility. We summarize recent progress in photothermal PCMs for wearable thermal management and intelligent healthcare, focusing on material systems, energy-conversion mechanisms, and application scenarios. Shape-stabilized solid-liquid composites, intrinsically flexible solid-solid/polymeric PCMs, photothermal-filler-enhanced composites, and phase-change azobenzene (PC-Azo) molecular solar thermal (MOST) systems are discussed. Their applications in personal thermal management (PTM), solar-thermal/optically switched heat release, wearable thermotherapy, intelligent healthcare, wearable electronics, and self-powered systems are highlighted. Finally, key challenges and future opportunities are proposed, including human-centered evaluation standards, multimodal thermal regulation, epidermal phase-change hydrogels, phase-change solar thermal textiles, and AI-guided material design.
Source: Smart Materials and Devices
Institutions: Tianjin University, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7203933534
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