Journal of Textile Research ›› 2023, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (01): 30-37.doi: 10.13475/j.fzxb.20220705708

• Invited Column: Frontiers of Textile Science and Technology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research progress in smart fabrics for thermal and humidity management

CHEN Jiahui1,2, MEI Tao1, ZHAO Qinghua1, YOU Haining1, WANG Wenwen1, WANG Dong1()   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Textile Fiber and Products, Ministry of Education, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, Hubei 430200, China
    2. College of Textile Science and Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, Hubei 430200, China
  • Received:2022-07-18 Revised:2022-10-08 Online:2023-01-15 Published:2023-02-16

RichHTML

41

PDF (PC)

250

Abstract:

Significance With rapid development of today's social population and the increasing scarcity of fossil energy, a huge contradiction arose between the surge in energy consumption, e.g., from air conditioning, and the global goals of "carbon peaking" and "carbon neutrality". The large amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by air-conditioning, refrigeration and heating have also become an urgent problem to be solved. Therefore, it is necessary to seek a new method for effectively adjusting the thermal and moist comfort of the human body so as to reduce the energy consumption caused by air conditioning. Textiles can also play a role in managing human comfort in daily life, but would mainly rely on the thickness of clothing to regulate human body temperature. In order to better meet the modern day requirements for life comfort, the active adjustment of smart textiles has demonstrated the potential for adjusting the human body's thermal and moist comfort, thereby reducing the energy consumption in the process of cooling and heating by air conditioning. Under the premise of the "double carbon" goal, this has could be a promising solution.
Progress This review summarizes the research progress in adjusting the thermal and moist comfort of the human body by using smart fabrics. The principle of regulating the thermal and moist condition of the human body through the fabric is introduced. In addition, the researches and mechanisms of the current study on regulating the thermal and moist comfort of the human body by means of fabric materials or fabric structures have been summarized. Coating or combining high-performance materials was adopted to prepare thermal and moist comfort fabrics aiming to regulating human body temperature. High infrared reflection materials such as silver and titanium dioxide, high thermal conductivity materials such as boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs), and high infrared transmission materials such as polyethylene (PE) are proposed. All of these high-performance materials can be used for raising or decreasing the body temperature. The review also introduces the thermal and moist comfort adjustment of smart fabrics caused by different fibers and fabric structures, such as thermal fabrics made of porous fibers, moisture-absorbing and quick-drying fabrics caused by asymmetric structures, and intelligent adjustment fabric that can respond to changes in fabric pore size caused by external temperature and humidity. Finally, this review paper analyzed and discussed the current difficulties and challenges in smart fabrics with different fabrication methods.
Conclusion and Prospect The smart fabric that can manage thermal and humid conditions of human body is necessary and the key is energy shortage. However, the performances of the thermal management, humidity management or thermal and humidity management of the recent smart fabric are directly affected and limited by the materials. Few high-performance functional materials can be utilized to fabricate smart fabrics. In addition, the main technical means of preparing thermal and moist comfort smart fabrics are coatings and material composites. However, the stability of coatings, the compatibility of composite materials, and the difficulty of industrial production limit the development of thermal and moist comfort smart fabrics. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare new fibers that can respond to external heat and humidity stimuli, so as to realize the preparation of fabrics that can intelligently regulate human body temperature and humidity. Additionally, the ease of construction, preparation, and large-scale production of fibers can reduce the cost of smart fabric production. Finally, the current preparation methods and functional principles of intelligent thermal-moist comfort fabrics are summarized, and a low-cost and large-scale preparation method for intelligent thermal-moist comfort fabrics is proposed by technological innovation of fibers.

Key words: smart fabric, thermal and moist comfort, infrared radiation material, heat conduction material, infrared transmission material, moisture absorption and quick drying

CLC Number: 

  • TS1

Fig.1

Schematic diagram of heat transfer between human body, fabric and environment"

Fig.2

Schematic diagram of structure and heat dissipation of BN/PVA fabric"

Fig.3

Fabrication and application of PE/PA6 composite fabric. (a) Schematic diagram of PE/PA6 composite film; (b) Thermal images of human face, mask covered with composite film, and two kinds of commercial masks"

Fig.4

Fabrication and application of biomimetic porous fibers. (a) SEM images of biomimetic porous fibers with different structure(×200); (b) Infrared images of experimental rabbits without wearing fabric, wearing polyester clothes and biomimetic porous fiber braids"

Fig.5

Schematic diagram of 3-D unidirectional water transport fabric. (a) Fabric structure; (b) Cross section of fabric"

Fig.6

Actuation of wool knitted fabrics under humidity stimulation. (a) Actuation process of wool fabric with different structures; (b) Change of pore structure of wool fabric under different water absorptivities"

[1] ETAIN A Tansey, CHRISTOPHER D Johnson. Recent advances in thermoregulation[J]. Advances in Physiology Education, 2015, 39(3): 139-148.
doi: 10.1152/advan.00126.2014 pmid: 26330029
[2] VRIENS Joris, NILIUS Bernd, VOETS Thomas. Peripheral thermosensation in mammals[J]. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2014, 15(9): 573-589.
doi: 10.1038/nrn3784 pmid: 25053448
[3] BEKER Braian Morris, CERVELLERA Camila, VITO Antonella De, et al. Human physiology in extreme heat and cold[J]. International Archives of Clinical Physiology, 2018, 1(1): 1-8.
[4] FANG Yunsheng, CHEN Guorui, BICK Michael, et al. Smart textiles for personalized thermoregulation[J]. Chemical Society Reviews, 2021, 50(17): 9357-9374.
doi: 10.1039/d1cs00003a pmid: 34296235
[5] ÜRGE-VORSATZ Diana, CABEZA Luisa F, SERRANO Susana, et al. Heating and cooling energy trends and drivers in buildings[J]. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2015, 41: 85-98.
doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2014.08.039
[6] PAKDEL Esfandiar, NAEBE Maryam, SUN Lu, et al. Advanced functional fibrous materials for enhanced thermoregulating performance[J]. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2019, 11(14): 13039-13057.
[7] COZZA E S, ALLOISIO M, COMITE A, et al. NIR-reflecting properties of new paints for energy-efficient buildings[J]. Solar Energy, 2015, 116: 108-116.
doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2015.04.004
[8] BROWN Douglas J A, BRUGGER Hermann, BOYD Jeff, et al. Accidental hypothermia[J]. New England Journal of Medicine, 2012, 367(20): 1930-1938.
doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1114208
[9] 王亚静. 湿环境对织物热湿传递及服装热湿舒适性能的影响[D]. 苏州: 苏州大学, 2019: 1-2.
WANG Yajing. Effect of wet environment on heat and moisture performance of fabric and garment[D]. Suzhou: Soochow University, 2019: 1-2.
[10] JOCIC Dragan. Active coatings for smart textiles[M]. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2016: 331-354.
[11] PENG Yucan, CHEN Jun, SONG Alex Y, et al. Nanoporous polyethylene microfibres for large-scale radiative cooling fabric[J]. Nature Sustainability, 2018, 1(2): 105-112.
doi: 10.1038/s41893-018-0023-2
[12] CAI Lili, SONG Alex Y, LI Wei, et al. Spectrally selective nanocomposite textile for outdoor personal cooling[J]. Advanced Materials, 2018, 30(35): 1802152.
doi: 10.1002/adma.201802152
[13] GAO Tingting, YANG Zhi, CHEN Chaoji, et al. Three-dimensional printed thermal regulation textiles[J]. ACS Nano, 2017, 11(11): 11513-11520.
doi: 10.1021/acsnano.7b06295 pmid: 29072903
[14] ZENG Shaoning, PIAN Sijie, SU Minyu, et al. Hierarchical-morphology metafabric for scalable passive daytime radiative cooling[J]. Science, 2021, 373(6555): 692-696.
doi: 10.1126/science.abi5484 pmid: 34353954
[15] HARRIS J Arthur, FRANCIS G Benedict. A biometric study of human basal metabolism[J]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 1918, 4(12): 370-373.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.4.12.370 pmid: 16576330
[16] WISSLER E H. Mathematical simulation of human thermal behavior using whole body models[J]. Heat Transfer in Medicine and Biology, 1985, 1(13): 325-373.
[17] MA Zhihao, ZHAO Dongliang, SHE Chenglong, et al. Personal thermal management techniques for thermal comfort and building energy saving[J]. Materials Today Physics, 2021, 20(7): 100465-100486.
doi: 10.1016/j.mtphys.2021.100465
[18] SARAH A Nunneley. Heat stress in protective clothing: interactions among physical and physiological factors[J]. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 1989, 15: 52-57.
[19] HSU Po-chun, SONG Alex Y, CATRYSSE Peter B, et al. Radiative human body cooling by nanoporous polyethylene textile[J]. Science, 2016, 353(6303): 1019-1023.
pmid: 27701110
[20] CAI Lili, SONG Alex Y, WU Peilin, et al. Warming up human body by nanoporous metallized polyethylene textile[J]. Nature Communication, 2017, 8(1): 1-8.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-016-0009-6
[21] CUI Ying, GONG Huaxin, WANG Yujie, et al. A thermally insulating textile inspired by polar bear hair[J]. Advanced Materials, 2018. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201706807.
doi: 10.1002/adma.201706807
[22] LIU Zengwei, LYU Jing, FANG Dan, et al. Nanofibrous kevlar aerogel threads for thermal insulation in harsh environments[J]. ACS Nano, 2019, 13(5): 5703-5711.
doi: 10.1021/acsnano.9b01094 pmid: 31042355
[23] ZHANG Xu A, YU Shangjie, XU Beibei, et al. Dynamic gating of infrared radiation in a textile[J]. Science, 2019, 363(6427): 619-623.
doi: 10.1126/science.aau1217 pmid: 30733415
[24] WANG Yuanfeng, LIANG Xin, ZHU He, et al. Reversible water transportation diode: temperature-adaptive smart janus textile for moisture/thermal management[J]. Advanced Functional Materials, 2020, 30(6): 1907851-1907859.
doi: 10.1002/adfm.201907851
[25] WONG Angela, DAOUD Walid A, LIANG Hanhua, et al. Application of rutile and anatase onto cotton fabric and their effect on the NIR reflection/surface temperature of the fabric[J]. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2015, 134: 425-437.
doi: 10.1016/j.solmat.2014.12.011
[26] PANWAR Kamlesh, JASSAL Manjeet, AGRAWAL Ashwini K. TiO2-SiO2 Janus particles treated cotton fabric for thermal regulation[J]. Surface and Coatings Technology, 2017, 309: 897-903.
doi: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2016.10.066
[27] SIMA Kashi, GUPTA Rahul K, BAUM Thomas, et al. Phase transition and anomalous rheological behaviour of polylactide/graphene nanocomposites[J]. Composites Part B: Engineering, 2018, 135: 25-34.
doi: 10.1016/j.compositesb.2017.10.002
[28] ABBAS Amir, ZHAO Yan, WANG Xungai, et al. Cooling effect of MWCNT-containing composite coatings on cotton fabrics[J]. Journal of The Textile Institute, 2013, 104(8): 798-807.
doi: 10.1080/00405000.2012.757007
[29] YE Changqing, LI Mingzhu, HU Junping, et al. Highly reflective superhydrophobic white coating inspired by poplar leaf hairs toward an effective ″cool roof″[J]. Energy & Environmental Science, 2011, 4(9): 3364-3367.
[30] SHI Normannan, TSAI Chengchia, CAMINO Fernando, et al. Keeping cool: enhanced optical reflection and radiative heat dissipation in Saharan silver ants[J]. Science, 2015, 349(6245): 298-301.
doi: 10.1126/science.aab3564 pmid: 26089358
[31] PETHAIYAN Jeevanandam, MULUKUTLA R S, Phillips M, et al. Near infrared reflectance properties of metal oxide nanoparticles[J]. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2007, 111(5): 1912-1918.
doi: 10.1021/jp066363o
[32] THONGKANLUANG Thadsanee, LIMSUWAN Pichet, RAKKWAMSUK Pattana. Preparation and application of high near-infrared reflective green pigment for ceramic tile roofs[J]. International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, 2011, 8(6): 1451-1458.
doi: 10.1111/j.1744-7402.2010.02599.x
[33] MAHLTIG Boris, ZHANG Jieyang, WU Linfei, et al. Effect pigments for textile coating: a review of the broad range of advantageous functionalization[J]. Journal of Coatings Technology & Research, 2017, 14(1): 35-55.
[34] CUI Yuxing. Study and development of near-infrared reflective and absorptive materials for energy saving application[D]. Canada: Carleton University, 2012: 11-14.
[35] WONG Ho Yan Angela. Near-infrared reflective materials for textiles[D]. Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2015: 3-24.
[36] ÖNDER KARAO'LU Emel, SARIER Nihal. Functional finishes for textiles: improving comfort, performance and protection[M]. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2015: 17-98.
[37] MENACHEM Lewin. Handbook of fiber chemistry[M]. 3rd ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2006: 1056.
[38] YANG Ankun, CAI Lili, ZHANG Rufan, et al. Thermal management in nanofiber-based face mask[J]. Nano Letters, 2017, 17(6): 3506-3510.
doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b00579 pmid: 28505460
[39] TONG Jonathan K, HUANG Xiaopeng, BORISKINA Svetlana V, et al. Infrared-transparent visible-opaque fabrics for wearable personal thermal management[J]. ACS Photonics, 2015, 2(6): 769-778.
doi: 10.1021/acsphotonics.5b00140
[40] FAN Wei, ZHANG Ge, ZHANG Xiaolin, et al. Superior unidirectional water transport and mechanically stable 3D orthogonal woven fabric for human body moisture and thermal management[J]. Small, 2022, 18(10): 2107150.
doi: 10.1002/smll.202107150
[41] IQBAL Mohammad Irfan, SUN Fengxin, FEI Bin, et al. Knit architecture for water-actuating woolen knitwear and its personalized thermal management[J]. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2021, 13(5): 6298-6308.
[1] JIANG Yanting, YAN Qingshuai, XIN Binjie, GAO Cong, SHI Meiwu. Comparative study on testing methods for unidirectional water transport in fabrics [J]. Journal of Textile Research, 2021, 42(05): 51-58.
[2] . Influence of interpenetrating polymer networks thermosensitive gel on liquid moisture transfer of cotton fabric [J]. Journal of Textile Research, 2018, 39(11): 79-84.
Viewed
Full text


Abstract

Cited
  Shared   
  Discussed   
No Suggested Reading articles found!
京ICP备14006648号
Copyright 2021 © Editorial office of Journal of Textile Research
Supported by Beijing Magtech Co.Ltd