Integration of Electrical Heating and Infrared-Reflection with Connected Ag Network for Personal Thermal Management

Fabrics for keeping warm are essential for comfort and protection in extremely cold climates, yet integrating active heating and passive insulation remains challenging. Therefore, we propose an effective and facile methodology to fabricate Nomex/silver (Ag) nanofibrous membranes with electrical heating and infrared-reflecting capacity. We prepared Nomex nanofibrous membranes by first electrospinning, further employed dip-coating with dispersed Ag nanoparticles, and finally performed hot-pressing for constructing a connected Ag network. This strategy caused Ag nanoparticles to be connected to generate a conductive and heat-reflecting network and also led to the tight interpenetration between Nomex nanofibers and the Ag network. The optimized membrane exhibits high electrical conductivity (1268 S/cm), enabling rapid active electrical heating (>99.7 °C within 5 min at 1 V). Simultaneously, it demonstrates passive infrared-reflecting capability coupled with an insulation capability producing a 1.7 °C temperature difference in 23 °C environments, suggesting great potential application for the next generation of warmth-retaining textiles. This dual-mode thermal regulation highlights the membrane's great potential for next-generation wearable warmth-retaining textiles.