Researchers have designed a thermal regulation textile that has a 55% greater cooling effect than cotton, which translates to cooler skin temperatures when wearing clothes made of the new fabric. The material can be fabricated using 3D printing and could provide a simple, low-cost way to cool the human body and reduce the need for air conditioning on hot days.
The researchers, led by Liangbing Hu at the University of Maryland, have published a paper on the new thermal regulation textile in a recent issue of ACS Nano.
“This is the first time that a highly thermally conductive textile is 3D-printed with excellent mechanical strength and greatly enhanced thermal conductivity, which can cool the body significantly, especially for office settings for energy savings,” Hu told Phys.org.
The new textile is made of a nanofiber composite consisting of boron nitride and poly(vinyl alcohol), or PVA. Using 3D printing.
