Functional Fibrous Materials with Controlled Moisture and Liquid Transport Properties

Abstract

Thermal comfort is an essential property in almost every clothing application due to the wearer’s physiological need. The thermal microclimate between the body and the external environment can be regulated by clothing systems. There are various functional requirements for clothing systems for different applications. In particular, the huge demand of high-performance and smart clothing has raised up the development of new fibrous systems with better functionalities, of which, moisture and liquid transport properties are of critical importance. In this dissertation, several new fibrous materials with controlled moisture and liquid transport properties are developed for better thermal comfort. Firstly, a superhydrophilic wrinkle-free cotton fabric has been developed via a nanofluid treatment, which solves the dilemma of achieving both wrinkle-free property and superhydrophilicity on a cotton fabric in a conventional wrinkle-free finishing process. Secondly, a “skin-like” fibrous system with directional liquid transport property has been designed via surface finishing and selective plasma treatment; the material is able to directionally transport water from the one side to the other, but repels water absorption or penetration in the opposite direction. Finally, a breathable fabric with smart pores to mimic leaf stomata has been explored via hydrogel coating technique; the artificial stomata has the ability to open and close the pores spontaneously according to the humidity change, therefore provides the self-regulating ability for moisture management. All these developments are based on the material design and surface chemistry to enable the different functionalities for the fibrous systems.