Stretchable and ultra‐light non‐woven thermal material with effective photo‐thermal conversion based on solution blow spinning technology

Abstract

An ideal insulation material has long been envisioned as one that not only minimizes heat loss but also provides additional heat. This study presents a non‐woven fabric, comprising ultra‐fine fibers embedded with zirconium carbide nanoparticles (ZrC NPs), prepared via solution blow spinning (SBS) and thermal crosslinking technology. Our results suggest that the fluffily‐structured elastomer, fabricated using rigid polystyrene and flexible polyurethane, exhibits high porosity (96.96%), ultra‐light characteristics (volume density of 47.12 mg cm−3), and effective heat retention (thermal conductivity of 23.1 mW mK−1 at −40°C). Moreover, the fabric demonstrates remarkable fracture strength (206.38 kPa), high elongation at break (34.5%), and superior elasticity even after 100 compression cycles at 40% strain. Despite the fact that introducing 12% ZrC increases the thermal conductivity of the base fabric by 6%, the NPs endow the material with an excellent photothermal conversion function. Following 10 min of exposure to visible light, the surface temperature increases to 71.5°C. Given its impressive performance, this novel non‐woven fabric demonstrates significant potential for applications in the field of cold protection.