One-way water transport and enhanced heating and cooling for cotton fabrics

Drying and cooling textiles which can efficiently manage the temperature and moisture of the skin microclimate, are required to staying human physiological and psychological comfort. However, the porous structure and inherent low thermal conductivity of textiles which impair the water transport and heat transfer capacities, result in a longstanding choke point for the design of efficient drying and cooling textiles. Here, inspired by the river diversion, a transpiration textile based on the hierarchical network of cotton, bi-directional transport by discontinuous hydrophobic pattern and high thermal conductivity of nano-ZnO, is demonstrated for highly efficient personal drying and cooling. This collaborative strategy which integrates the desired one-way water transport property by asymmetric wettability and discontinuous hydrophobic pattern, increased thermal conductivity, and accelerated transpiration by nano-ZnO, offers cotton fabric with distinct advantages, including a rapid water evaporation rate (0.36 g h(-1)), desired accumulative one-way transport index of 550.83%, the good thermal conductivity of 0.105 W m(-1) K-1 and contact transient cool feeling. Overall, the successful fabrication of this drying and cooling textile satisfies the growing demand for a comfortable microclimate to the human body.

Automated summary

This study developed a breathable fabric based on a hierarchical network of cotton, bi-directional transport mechanism, and high thermal conductivity of nano-ZnO for efficient personal drying and cooling. The fabric offers advantages such as rapid evaporation, good thermal conductivity, and a comfortable touch.