Zentek Innovations for Crazy Weather

We have been working with phase change materials since 2007. The most common place , you find them, is in shipping perishable goods.. such as human organ transplants and medicines.When goods have to be kept in a certain temperature range or they will perish. They are few companies using them in clothing because of the expense.The one we work with has been micro encapsulated into nano sized particles, into a cellular fabric.This allows the air to flow around the particles, releasing heat. Its why we say to cool.. allow air flow..shake, .. a breeze.. or move faster.To keep warm.. block the airflow. That could be another layer of clothing, or wearing underneath a wind blocking layer.

It also will last 10 years.. washing & drying cool.  Detergent is fine..not fabric softeners.

This year, 2013, we could not ignore the more extreme weather incidences. Fans from Phoenix and Vegas were suffering from triple digit heat in March. The raging storms and floods. In response to these  telephone conversations, we added 58 F cold packs to several products ( also, phase change).

Our phase change is set to 83 F. In the beginning, we thought it might be on the warm side. But all these years of use have proven the scientists right. This is the temperature that  still allows good blood flow to the muscles. The massage therapists, report back that when they use our products, it 'holds' their work in .So when they have the muscles where they want them.. to heal, you need to keep up the blood supply. If the muscles get too hot, or too cool, the therapists work is lost.

I always thought it would be great to have a summer phase change set at 58F. But they reminded me, that worn too long or in the wrong conditions, it would cause hypothermia. You will find a lot of military style vests.. that have these large heavy packs. They last 2-4 hours in 80+ heat. So we added pockets, for one to three, packs in the human vest, the Canine Quick Wrap and the Dog coats. This keeps our clothes looking like street clothes and still lightweight.. Also adding 5+ lbs to you when you are already overheated, never made much sense to me.

After getting back out among the sporting dogs, it was clear their was a cultural bias against putting on the coat to cool.I admit, it was weird for me too. Intellectually we know what it does. maybe people have a fear of being judged.. others..not knowing the product. Maybe it just takes years for people to change their habits. This is why we designed the Canine Quick Wrap. Price was keeping a lot of people from using the product.The most effective place to cool a dog, is the underbelly. So we wrapped it with phase change, added an opening for cold or warm packs. We use it dry ...keeps 83 F, or wet the wrap and added a cold pack.The cool spreads to the rest of the garment with it wet. I had Teddy.. my 28 lb Bulldog, skateboarding on asphalt in 85+ F. Not only did she not overheat.. she never broke into a pant.( I don't let her pant at dog shows).. What is thrilling, is that I have that much control over her heating with these products. They say this will be a billion $ business by 2018. Phase change technology will make our lives bearable in the coming climate change.