Electrospun polyacrylonitrile-silica aerogel coating on viscose nonwoven fabric for versatile protection and thermal comfort

A novel protective fabric accomplishing with an acceptable level of protective performance and wear comfort has been designed and developed. The protective fabric was tailored by integrating an electrospun PAN-silica aerogel nanofibre membrane with needle-punched viscose nonwoven fabric for simultaneous barrier performance and thermal comfort. The nanofibrous membrane was characterised and evaluated for chemical and thermal protection after sandwiching it within the nonwoven layers. The analysis of PAN-silica aerogel nanofibre revealed that aerogel particles were randomly distributed in the membrane. The nonwoven substrate embedded with the functionalised nanofibre membrane is a lightweight, soft and flexible fabric having versatile protective performance. The newly developed fabric demonstrated satisfactory resistance against radiant heat and liquid chemical penetration. Besides, the improved thermal and moisture vapour transmittance and high evaporative cooling index suggested acceptable thermal comfort of clothing due to the decreased accumulation of perspirations on the material. Moreover, the adequate breathability and moisture management performance indicated diffusion of sweat vapour through the membrane, providing favourable thermal comfort in the clothing-skin microenvironment. Graphic abstract