Tri‐Layer Laminated Fabric‐Induced Sweating Surfaces for Passive Cooling

Abstract

Fabrics which can keep people cool in a hot climate have attracted considerable attention in recent years. Among various cooling strategies, fabric cooling by water evaporation is proved to be very safe, simple and sustainable. Here, a tri‐layer laminated fabric (TLF) inspired by perspiration is designed to realize passive cooling of human body. An interlayer fabric which is coated with crosslinked sodium polyacrylate can absorb and store a large amount of water. A moisture‐absorbing and quick‐drying fabric is used as the outer layer while a waterproof breathable fabric is used on the inside of the laminate in contact with skin. The prepared TLF shows decent evaporative cooling performance under dry heat conditions. The water absorbency of TLF is about 400% higher than that of pristine cotton after 1 h soaking in water. Under a 1 sun irradiation (1000 W m−2), the indoor temperature of a simulated room can be reduced by ≈5–7 °C compared with the other without a cooling system. Meanwhile, the evaporative cooling effect can be maintained up to 5 h. This cooling fabric shows broad application prospects in the fields of thermal cooling to human and buildings.

Integrated Multi-Layered Fabric with Tunable Water Supply to the Photothermal Conversion Layer for an Efficient Solar Water Evaporation

“…The shortage of clean water resources is one of the major crises faced by human society. , The research and development of new methods for cheap, efficient, portable, and reliable access to clean water resources have attracted widespread attention both at industrial and individual levels. − Solar energy is an inexhaustible source of clean energy with zero greenhouse gas emissions. − Using abundant solar energy and seawater or other unpurified water to generate and collect freshwater through desalination and distillation is a practical and green approach. This technique has great potential to provide a solution to the growing challenge of water scarcity. − …”

Smart Fibers and Textiles for Personal Thermal Management in Emerging Wearable Applications

“…Three‐layer laminated fabric (TLF) was designed with a moisture‐absorbing and quick‐drying fabric as the outer layer and an impregnated layer in the middle. [ 58 ] Sodium polyacrylate cotton with great water absorption potential taken as a high‐water absorption fabric that can absorb and store a large amount of water. The inner layer is a waterproof and breathable polyester knitted fabric coated with a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fabric to ensure that the skin is dry when worn.…”

“…Reproduced with permission. [ 58 ] Copyright 2021, John Wiley and Sons. b) Schematics of comparison between NanoPE, normal PE, and cotton.…”

Fabrication of Hydrophobic Multilayered Fabric for Passive Daytime Radiative Cooling

“…When compared to photonic structures, polymer‐based radiation cooling materials can not only reduce the cost but also greatly improve the extensibility and flexibility. At present, porous polymer materials, [ 8–11 ] aerogels, [ 12–14 ] coatings, [ 15–21 ] fabric, [ 22,23 ] nanostructured materials, [ 16,24–27 ] white cooler wood, [ 28 ] composite cooling materials, [ 11,29,30 ] and dielectric microsphere materials [ 31,32 ] have been widely studied. For example, Zhu et al.…”

“…When compared to photonic structures, polymer-based radiation cooling materials can not only reduce the cost but also greatly improve the extensibility and flexibility. At present, porous polymer materials, [8][9][10][11] aerogels, [12][13][14] coatings, [15][16][17][18][19][20][21] fabric, [22,23] nanostructured materials, [16,[24][25][26][27] white cooler wood, [28] composite cooling materials, [11,29,30] and dielectric microsphere materials [31,32] have been widely studied. For example, Zhu et al demonstrated a hierarchically designed nanofibre-based film, which allows for a high reflectivity of 96.3% in the 0.3-2.5 μm wavelength range and a selective emissivity of 78% in the 8-13 μm wavelength range.…”