Sometimes it is too cold for us and then too warm again – annoying dressing-undressing of sweaters and co. Is therefore required. However, that may change: researchers have developed a sophisticated textile that can independently adapt its thermal properties to how hot, sweaty or cold the wearer is: the innovative fabric warms or cools as needed.
The human organism is like a radiator – we radiate heat. How much infrared radiation we emit into the environment can be regulated by clothing. In this context, material researchers have always developed sophisticated textiles in recent years. However, they can usually only be either or: Some materials insulate extremely well, thereby keeping the body warm. Others, on the other hand, can give off intense heat radiation to cool. A textile that can dynamically move from one function to another has not existed so far, say researchers around Yu Huang Wang of the University of Maryland at College Park. However, this ability should now possess their newly developed material.
Refined fibers with nano-coating
They report that the innovative fabric is made from specially assembled fibers coated with carbon nanotubes. The carrier material is composed of two different polymer materials which react in a contrary manner to moisture and heat with deformation. The dynamic properties of the material are based on this effect, explain the scientists: In moisture or heat, the fibers warp and thus change the structure of the material.
This process opens pores in the fabric that allow heat to escape, the researchers say. But the real highlight is the second effect: The structural change causes an electromagnetic coupling between the carbon nanotubes in the coating. This then leads to increased heat radiation of the material. In sweaty conditions, it thus ensures cooling. On the other hand, if the fabric is cold or dry, the opposite effect occurs: the pores close and the change in the electromagnetic coupling between the carbon nanotubes reduces the heat radiation. This gives the fabric an insulating effect.
“In simple terms, the concept is similar to the effects of radio antennas,” says Wang, “bending two antennas closer together changes their response to electromagnetic waves. The fibers in our material are similar: depending on how close or far they are brought together, their response to infrared radiation changes, “Wang said. At the level of the whole fabric this means that the material can emit more or less heat according to the conditions and thus keep the body warm or cool.
Literally cool clothes in planning
Concretely, the previous test results showed that the infrared-adapive material can change its heat radiation by more than 35 percent. As the researchers report, the fabric also appears to be well suited for use as a textile material with regard to further properties: the basic substances for producing the fibers are readily available and the carbon coating can be applied without problems. In addition, the fabric can be dyed and washed, the developers say.
Nevertheless, the substance has yet to be further optimized and tested until it can be incorporated into products, the scientists emphasize. However, they are confident that some day clothes will be based on their concept: “I find it very exciting to be able to use the material for the development of fabrics that can improve the functionality of garments and other fabrics,” says Co-author Min Ouyang.
Image Credit: Faye Levine, University of Maryland
Thanks to Heinz V. Hoenen. Follow him on twitter: @HeinzVHoenen
News This Week
X Marks the Spot: AI’s Treasure Maps Lead to Early Disease Detection
Medical diagnostics expert, doctor’s assistant, and cartographer are all fair titles for an artificial intelligence model developed by researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Their new model accurately identifies tumors [...]
Scientists Discover Method To Identify Alzheimer’s Disease Before It Progresses to Dementia
Researchers at Aarhus University have discovered a method to identify Alzheimer’s disease before it progresses to dementia, potentially opening up new avenues for treatment. A groundbreaking study could pave the way for early detection [...]
Startling Discovery: COVID-19 Virus Can Stay in the Body More Than a Year After Infection
The COVID-19 virus can persist in the blood and tissue of patients for more than a year after the acute phase of the illness has ended, according to new research from UC San Francisco that offers potential [...]
New bioengineered protein design shows promise in fighting COVID-19
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists have been racing to develop effective treatments and preventatives against the virus. A recent scientific breakthrough has emerged from the work of researchers aiming to combat [...]
Sugar-coated gold nanoparticles can quickly eliminate bacterial infections, no antibiotics required
If left to their own devices, bacteria on our teeth or wounded skin can encase themselves in a slimy scaffolding, turning into what is called biofilm. These bacteria wreak havoc on our tissue and, [...]
Liquid Lightning: Nanotechnology Unlocks New Energy
EPFL researchers have discovered that nanoscale devices harnessing the hydroelectric effect can harvest electricity from the evaporation of fluids with higher ion concentrations than purified water, revealing a vast untapped energy potential. Evaporation is a natural [...]
Unmasking the Illusion: AI-Generated Faces Challenge Perceptions
Research shows survey participants duped by AI-generated images nearly 40 percent of the time. If you recently had trouble figuring out if an image of a person is real or generated through artificial intelligence [...]
New Discovery Reveals How Cells Defend Themselves During Stressful Situations
Stress granules play a crucial role in the stress response, arising from the aggregation of non-translating mRNAs and proteins. Although significant knowledge exists about stress granules, the mechanisms behind their mRNA localization remain partially [...]
Scientists use a new type of nanoparticle that can both deliver vaccines and act as an adjuvant
Many vaccines, including vaccines for hepatitis B and whooping cough, consist of fragments of viral or bacterial proteins. These vaccines often include other molecules called adjuvants, which help to boost the immune system's response [...]
Not Science Fiction: How Optical Neural Networks Are Revolutionizing AI
A novel architecture for optical neural networks utilizes wavefront shaping to precisely manipulate the travel of ultrashort pulses through multimode fibers, enabling nonlinear optical computation. Present-day artificial intelligence systems rely on billions of adjustable [...]
Turning skin cells into limb cells sets the stage for regenerative therapy
In a collaborative study, researchers from Kyushu University and Harvard Medical School have identified proteins that can turn or “reprogram” fibroblasts — the most commonly found cells in skin and connective tissue — into [...]
AI reveals prostate cancer is not just one disease
Artificial Intelligence has helped scientists reveal a new form of aggressive prostate cancer, which could revolutionise how the disease is diagnosed and treated in the future. A Cancer Research UK-funded study, published in Cell Genomics, has revealed [...]
New Study Finds That Persistent COVID-19 Infections Are Surprisingly Common
Recent research conducted by the University of Oxford has found that a high proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the general population lead to persistent infections lasting a month or more. The findings have been published in the journal Nature. [...]
Innovative nanosheet method revolutionizes brain imaging for multi-scale and long-term studies
The human brain has billions of neurons. Working together, they enable higher-order brain functions such as cognition and complex behaviors. To study these higher-order brain functions, it is important to understand how neural activity [...]
Scientists Have Discovered a Potential Universal Antivenom
Scientists at Scripps Research identified antibodies that protect against a host of lethal snake venoms. Scripps Research scientists have developed an antibody that can block the effects of lethal toxins in the venoms of [...]
Scientists discover the human brain is even more powerful than we thought
The human brain could be far more powerful than we ever imagined, scientists have discovered. Researchers have identified cell messaging which have never been uncovered before, which suggests our brains are capable of more than previously realised. It’s [...]
Leave A Comment