Researchers Have Developed a New Type of Fabric is Like Wearing an Air Conditioner
The new fibers were created by zapping a polymer solution with electricity, building strands that were particularly well equipped to conduct heat

Researcher's team found that their textile had superior heat conduction

Air conditioning systems are incredible things. They allow us to live comfortably in extremely hot seasonal climates, and they’re relatively cheap and easy to use. Unfortunately, they’re also huge power hogs, sucking up electricity and contributing to climate change as a result.

The new fibers were created by zapping a polymer solution with electricity, building strands that were particularly well equipped to conduct heat. This was due to the individual nanofibers being coated in boron nitride nanosheets. When tested against other fabrics that claim to dissipate heat, the team found that their textile had superior heat conduction.

Heat conduction is just one piece of the puzzle, however, and the resulting textile had to also be breathable. In testing the material, the researchers found it to be water-resistant, which is great when it comes to sweat but was also porous enough that air could easily pass through the spaces between fibers. This gives the material breathability, while its heat conductive properties take body heat and radiate it to the surrounding air. It’s kind of like having your own personal radiator to shed body heat when you get too hot, and it all happens automatically.

The strategy causes boron nitride (BN) to be linked with each other along nanofibers, and thus the membranes contain well interpenetrated BN network and remain porous structure simultaneously, improving their thermal conductivity without sacrificing the moisture permeability,” the researchers write. “In addition, the membranes possess good resistance to water penetration and intriguing superhydrophobicity due to the synergistic effect of the hydrophobic polymeric matrix and improved roughness.

The scientists aren’t ready to declare this the next great fabric, but they are moving forward with the idea that the textile could have wide-ranging applications. In the future, the researchers say that not only could the nanofibers be used in fabrics designed to keep people cool, but its heat-conductive properties could make it viable for solar energy collection and even cooling systems in electronic devices.

Srinivasan Perumal is the Chief Marketing Officer at KnitBrain International Pvt Ltd and loves helping source, merchandising, and launch new fashion clothing lines for the fashion brands and clients.

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