Hydrogel Microcapsules for Stimuli-Responsive Textiles

Abstract

Highlights: What are the main findings? Our review analyzes design, synthesis, and textile integration of stimuli-responsive hydrogels and microcapsules with a special emphasis on how moisture, pH, temperature, light, and chemical triggers are leveraged to produce adaptive, multifunctional textile systems at the intersection of these technologies. What are the implications of the main findings? Our findings highlight key opportunities for advancing smart textiles in healthcare, comfort regulation, controlled release, and filtration applications, with particular focus on underutilized properties of hydrogel and microcapsule systems, in the context of key challenges in durability, scalability, and sustainability. Stimuli-responsive textiles are a rapidly evolving class of functional fiber-based materials that sense and adapt to environmental triggers. Within these enabling technologies, hydrogels and microcapsules are very illustrative, as they offer complementary mechanisms for moisture management, controlled release, and adaptive performance. Hydrogels provide soft, water-rich polymer networks with modifiable swelling, permeability, and mechanics, while microcapsules offer protection and targeted delivery of active agents through engineered shell structures. When integrated into fibrous networks, they impart dynamic detection responses for moisture, temperature, pH, mechanical stress, light, and chemical or biological agents. This review critically examines progress in design, synthesis, and textile integration of hydrogel- and microcapsule-based systems, with emphasis on materials that exhibit stimuli-responsive behavior rather than passive or extended-release functionality. Strategies for incorporating bulk hydrogels, micro- and nanogels, and stimuli-responsive microcapsules into fibers, yarns, and fabrics are discussed in addition to applications such as smart apparel, medical and hygienic textiles, controlled drug delivery, antimicrobial fabrics, and adaptive filtration media. Existing challenges for durability, washability, response kinetics, scalability, and sustainability are highlighted, while future research directions are proposed to advance the development of robust and intelligent textile systems at the nexus of soft matter science and fiber engineering.