Issue

Vol. 17 (2025)

Smart Cellulose-Based Janus Fabrics with Switchable Liquid Transportation for Personal Moisture and Thermal Management

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-024-01510-5
Jianfeng Xi
Jiangsu Co‑Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Sustainable Pulp and Paper Technology and Biomass Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, People’s Republic of China
Yanling Lou
Jiangsu Co‑Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Sustainable Pulp and Paper Technology and Biomass Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, People’s Republic of China
Liucheng Meng
Jiangsu Co‑Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Sustainable Pulp and Paper Technology and Biomass Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, People’s Republic of China
Chao Deng
Macromolecular Chemistry and Bavarian Polymer Institute, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95440, Germany
Youlu Chu
Jiangsu Co‑Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Sustainable Pulp and Paper Technology and Biomass Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, People’s Republic of China
Zhaoyang Xu
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, People’s Republic of China
Huining Xiao
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
Weibing Wu
Jiangsu Co‑Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Sustainable Pulp and Paper Technology and Biomass Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Weibing Wu

wbwu@njfu.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 17 (2025), Article Number: 14

Abstract

The Janus fabrics designed for personal moisture/thermal regulation have garnered significant attention for their potential to enhance human comfort. However, the development of smart and dynamic fabrics capable of managing personal moisture/thermal comfort in response to changing external environments remains a challenge. Herein, a smart cellulose-based Janus fabric was designed to dynamically manage personal moisture/heat. The cotton fabric was grafted with N-isopropylacrylamide to construct a temperature-stimulated transport channel. Subsequently, hydrophobic ethyl cellulose and hydrophilic cellulose nanofiber were sprayed on the bottom and top sides of the fabric to obtain wettability gradient. The fabric exhibits anti-gravity directional liquid transportation from hydrophobic side to hydrophilic side, and can dynamically and continuously control the transportation time in a wide range of 3–66 s as the temperature increases from 10 to 40 °C. This smart fabric can quickly dissipate heat at high temperatures, while at low temperatures, it can slow down the heat dissipation rate and prevent the human from becoming too cold. In addition, the fabric has UV shielding and photodynamic antibacterial properties through depositing graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets on the hydrophilic side. This smart fabric offers an innovative approach to maximizing personal comfort in environments with significant temperature variations.


Highlights:
1 A smart all-cellulose Janus fabric was designed for personal moisture/thermal management.
2 The fabric can dynamically and continuously control the liquid transportation time in response to the temperature.
3 The fabric can accelerate the heat dissipation rate at high temperatures, while slow it down at low temperatures.

Keywords

Directional water transport Cotton fabric Anti-gravity directional liquid transportation Janus wettability
Xi, Jianfeng, Yanling Lou, Liucheng Meng, Chao Deng, Youlu Chu, Zhaoyang Xu, Huining Xiao, and Weibing Wu. 2024. “Smart Cellulose-Based Janus Fabrics With Switchable Liquid Transportation for Personal Moisture and Thermal Management”. Nano-Micro Letters 17 (September):14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-024-01510-5.
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