Multifunctional Cooling Textiles with Enhanced Radiative and Moisture Management by One-Step Phase Separation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Global warming necessitates advanced personal thermal management solutions.
• Developing textiles with both radiative cooling and moisture transport is challenging.
• High-temperature conditions demand efficient thermal and moisture regulation in textiles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a radiative cooling and unidirectional moisture-wicking textile (RCUM-Textile).
• To achieve this through a simple, one-step phase separation fabrication method.
• To integrate radiative cooling and efficient sweat evaporation for enhanced thermal comfort.

Main Methods:

• Utilized evaporation-induced phase separation (EIPS) and non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS).
• Created a trilayer structure with a hydrophobic SiO2/PVDF-HFP upper layer and a hydrophilic cotton lower layer.
• Applied SiO2/PVDF-HFP solution as a cotton finishing agent for simplified functionalization.

Main Results:

• Achieved high solar reflectance (89.7%) and mid-infrared emissivity (94.9%).
• Demonstrated a significant cooling effect of 8.7°C under direct sunlight.
• Observed an enhanced sweat evaporation rate (0.029 g·m⁻²·s⁻¹) and reduced evaporation enthalpy (2084 J/g).

Conclusions:

• The RCUM-Textile offers effective radiative cooling and efficient moisture management.
• The one-step fabrication method is cost-effective and simplifies textile functionalization.
• The developed textile has potential applications in personal cooling, wearable electronics, and industrial systems.