Encapsulation and functionalization strategies of organic phase change materials in medical applications

Temperature control system based on organic phase change materials (PCMs) has attracted tremendous attention in medical applications owing to the obvious advantages of large heat storage, accurate temperature controlling, ease of modification, etc. In order to fully utilize the advantages of organic PCMs for better application in biomedicine, it is often necessary to encapsulate PCMs to improve their shortcomings (such as instability in form, biosafety, biocompatibility, etc.). Encapsulation techniques of PCMs can achieve the leakage free to enhance the biocompatibility and form stability. In addition, in order to be suitable for different biomedical application scenarios, more functionality needs to be given to PCM microcapsule by using modification, chemical grafting, and polymerization methods. However, in the field of biomedicine, the current researches on the biocompatibility and functional design of organic PCMs in the encapsulation process are relatively fragmented. For the reason, this review systematically summarizes the encapsulation strategies of organic PCMs including core–shell encapsulation, physical adsorption, 3D structure, and covalent bonding. Moreover, the biocompatibility and functionalization design concepts of form-stable organic PCMs are discussed in detail for improving therapeutic effect. In addition, the applications in terms of medical field (e.g., medical textiles, drug delivery, cold chain transportation of pharmaceutical preparation, medical device) are thoroughly presented based on detailed investigations. This review will provide profound insights into the encapsulation and functionalization strategies of form-stable organic PCMs and their medical applications.