Smart Fibers and Textiles for Personal Thermal Management in Emerging Wearable Applications

Abstract

With the emergence and development of smart wearable electronics and healthcare systems, strong demands for energy saving and effective personal thermoregulation have attracted great attentions. In order to prevent thermal runaway and realize human thermal comfort during the long‐term wear of electronics that closely contact to skin, personal thermal management is emerging as an important strategy to regulate and balance the heat exchange between human body and surrounding environments. Smart fibers and textiles with light weight, mechanical flexibility, multiple responsive, as well as, excellent thermoregulation ability for efficient personal thermal management are eagerly desired in the healthcare applications of wearable electronics. This review summarizes the state‐of‐the‐art advancements on emerging smart fibers and textiles for personal thermal management, including personal cooling, warming, and thermostatic according to the specific healthcare application fields and individual requirements. Advanced fibers and textiles could provide adjustable smart personal thermal regulation ability, in response to various external stimuli and the changes of surrounding environments for efficient personal healthcare are focused on. Finally, the opportunities and challenges of smart fibers/textiles for personal thermal management are also discussed.

Smart fibers and textiles for emerging clothe-based wearable electronics: materials, fabrications and applications

“…However, due to the large heating space, global warming is accelerated and resources are wasted. 129 Therefore, electric heating fabric, like clothes, can be worn on the body, to meet the personal needs of clothing heating in an energy-saving way. Joule heating fabric mainly converts electric energy into heat energy to achieve the effect of active heating.…”

Conformal Structured Ceramic Textiles with Passive and Active Heating Functionality

“…12,13 Therefore, functional fabrics that can effectively regulate the heat exchange between the human body and the environment have attracted wide attention, making clothing thin and light to wear while keeping warm. 14 However, it remains a challenge to create functional fabrics that are safe, reusable, resistant to harsh conditions, and show robust passive and positive heating in extreme environments. 15−17 Recently, wearable electronic technology based on photothermal conversion and joule heating has been developed as the next generation of functional fibers and fabrics.…”

“…To maintain human comfort and reduce energy consumption, personal thermal management (PTM), which emphasizes heating and cooling around the human body and its local environment, becomes an effective and attractive solution. − Generally, clothing has been widely used to warm the human body in cold environments. However, in the cold winter and extreme environments at high-latitude regions and high-altitude areas, traditional strategies are increasing the insulation materials, which results in a thicker and heavier cloth that is inconvenient to wear. , Therefore, functional fabrics that can effectively regulate the heat exchange between the human body and the environment have attracted wide attention, making clothing thin and light to wear while keeping warm . However, it remains a challenge to create functional fabrics that are safe, reusable, resistant to harsh conditions, and show robust passive and positive heating in extreme environments. − …”

Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Based Nanofibers with Improved Thermal Conductivity and Efficient Photothermal Response for Wearable Thermal Management

“…In contrast to conventional textiles, smart textiles have the ability to respond to various physical stimuli, such as thermal, electrical, and mechanical signals, from the surrounding environment. This results in energy conversion, storage, and temperature self-regulation. − As the key basic unit of smart textiles, nanofibers with a rapid response to multiple stimuli and efficient energy conversion have become potential components of advanced wearable systems. However, the preparation of nanofibers remains challenging due to complex environmental conditions. − …”