Chinese scientists have developed a fabric that can potentially both cool you down in hot weather and warm you up in the winter.
This so-called “phase-change” textile has stirred the attention of innovators across the globe after it was first presented at the beginning of the year in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Regular textile is impregnated with a polymer that changes its form according to environmental temperature, alternating between a crystal and a non-crystal form. Throughout this process, the fabric absorbs and accumulates or releases body heat.
Crystallization (and heat release) occurs in cooler temperatures and reverses (absorbing the heat) in warmer temperatures.
But regulating temperature isn’t the only thing that this 3D printed fabric can do — the cloth can also conduct electricity!
So, how does this work?
The 3D printing material contains carbon nanotubes that account for its ability to conduct electricity. This means you can use your touch screen even when wearing gloves of the material.
Nano-tubes also make the fabric low-radiation-resistant! In other words, the fabric is resistant to Wi-Fi and radio waves.
It’s also important to note that the fabric is resistant to folding and works just fine even after being folded 2,000 times.
The only problem is that phase-changing happens quickly. As soon as it cools you by absorbing heat, it’ll release the absorbed heat on your cool body. And only one gram of the fabric can release the energy that a regular light bulb emits in one second.
The fabric in question can have multiple applications, and the 3D printing strategy used by the researchers enables scalable production. Hence, the future looks bright for the phase-change fabric.
However, this doesn’t mean it’ll revolutionize the fashion industry for now. For the time being, it’ll probably be tied to specific niches (e.g., military, etc.).
But, who knows — it might find application in everyday life someday in the future and help us regulate our body temperature when we’re more vulnerable to heat fluctuations — during sleep. So, the next top-shelf duvet covers or throw blankets may be made of this innovative fabric.
