Regulating Texture Structure of Polyoxymethylene Fabric Enables Intrinsic In-Plane Thermal Conduction and High...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Textile Engineering

Background:

• Polyoxymethylene (POM) is a versatile engineering plastic with inherent high thermal conductivity (TC).
• High crystallinity and orientation in POM fibers contribute to superior intrinsic TC.
• Applications in thermal management are expanding due to POM's properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and characterize POM fibers and fabrics with enhanced thermal conductivity.
• To investigate the influence of yarn and weaving parameters on fabric in-plane TC and abrasion resistance.
• To fabricate a Janus-structured heat transfer device using POM fabric for integrated functions.

Main Methods:

• Melt spinning-hot drawing/heat setting dual process for POM fiber preparation.
• Yarn twisting and weaving techniques to produce POM fabrics with controlled configurations.
• Characterization of in-plane TC, abrasion index, and sunlight absorbance.
• Fabrication of a Janus-structured heat transfer device.

Main Results:

• POM fibers exhibited superior intrinsic TC due to high crystallinity/orientation.
• Optimized yarn linear density, twist factor, and warp density elevated in-plane TC.
• Plain-woven POM fabrics showed high in-plane TC (up to 1.542 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹) and superior abrasion resistance.
• The Janus-structured device achieved 94% sunlight absorbance and efficient thermal management.

Conclusions:

• POM fibers and fabrics offer significant potential for thermal management applications.
• Fabric structure and processing parameters critically influence thermal and mechanical properties.
• The developed Janus device demonstrates efficient photothermal conversion, conduction, and energy storage.