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Personal Thermoregulation by Heat-Conducting Engineered Materials.
Xiaofeng Jiang1, Zhuhua Zhang1, Wanlin Guo1
1State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Mechanical Structures, and Institute for Frontier Science, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|December 31, 2025
Summary
Personal thermal management (PTM) textiles offer controlled heat exchange for optimal comfort. This study reviews advanced heat-conducting textiles, addressing current limitations and future potential in PTM applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Textile Engineering
- Human-Environment Interaction
Background:
- Personal thermal management (PTM) utilizes advanced textiles to regulate body-environment heat exchange for thermal comfort.
- Heat conductivity is crucial for thermal transfer in PTM textiles, with engineered materials aiming to enhance warming and cooling.
- Current PTM textiles face challenges in performance, wearability, and stability for daily use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce mechanistic models for predicting textile thermal conductivity.
- To review advancements in single-function and bifunctional PTM textiles.
- To analyze challenges and future outlook for heat-conducting textiles in PTM.
Main Methods:
- Development of mechanistic models for thermal conductivity prediction in textiles.
- Comprehensive review of stimuli-responsive materials and mechanical force-based designs for PTM textiles.
- Analysis of scientific and technological challenges in PTM textile applications.
Main Results:
- Mechanistic models for predicting textile thermal conductivity are presented.
- Advancements in single-function (warming/cooling) and bifunctional (switchable) textiles are detailed.
- Key challenges and future directions for PTM textile development are identified.
Conclusions:
- Engineered heat-conducting textiles show promise for PTM, but performance and stability need improvement.
- Stimuli-responsive materials and mechanical designs are advancing PTM textile capabilities.
- Further research is needed to overcome challenges and realize the full potential of PTM technology.
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