Science

Air-conditioning clothes that regulate heat

February 10, 2019 04:34·
Air-conditioning clothes that regulate heat

Air-conditioning clothes that regulate heat

"However, no one before had found a way to switch both the porosity and infrared transparency of a textile so as to provide increased comfort in response to environmental conditions".

To achieve this unique property, the fabric is engineered with a specially designed yarn coated with a conductive metal.

Plenty of fabrics already wick away moisture or work to keep you cool when it's blazing out, but what's notable here is the smart fabric's ability to adapt to the world around it.

The study published on Thursday in the journal Science showed that the fabric allowed infrared radiation to pass through when conditions are warm and moist.

In cooler, drier conditions, the fabric traps more infrared heat, resulting in the wearer staying warmer.

Researchers from the University of Maryland have developed fabric that automatically regulates the amount of heat that can pass through depending on the conditions.

"This is the first technology that allows us to dynamically gate infrared radiation", said the paper's corresponding author Wang Yuhuang, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Maryland.

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Specifically, when it's hot, the strands twist and tighten up, activating the nanotube coating and letting the heat pass through. The strands are coated with carbon nanotubes, and the fibers expand or contract depending on the conditions.

The new fabric is also said to work nearly instantly, so that even before someone realizes they are getting hot, their garment immediately starts cooling them down.

"The human body is a flawless radiator". The paper's corresponding author Min Ouyang described the futuristic fabric as "a true bidirectional regulator".

A team of American scientists has developed an air-conditioning fabric that can regulate temperature. They do not have to take off clothing, then put on clothing, to try to reach a comfortable temperature.

The scientists hope their work will lead to what they call "comfort-adjusting clothing", though they say more work is needed before stores sell shirts that react to San Francisco's maddening weather.

Previously, researchers demonstrated fabrics that can increase porosity in response to sweat or temperature, as well as textiles that transmit infrared radiation from the human body. But, as per researchers saying the base material is easily available and the carbon coating can be effortlessly added during the standard dying process. In addition, Wen-An Chiou of the Maryland NanoCenter performed the microtome and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis. The college's 10 departments and more than a dozen interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $150 million.

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