Dynamic Thermal-Regulating Textiles with Metallic Fibers Based on a Switchable Transmittance

Personal radiative thermal management using photonic smart textiles has become a center of attention due to its potential to facilitate thermal comfort, and to decrease the energy cost for heating and cooling. Here, we provide an approach for a dynamic transmittance switch textile (DTST): a dynamic, passive, radiative thermal regulating fabric that controls the infrared (IR) transmission by adapting to the ambient temperature and humidity. The DTST is constituted from metal-coated monofilaments and stimuli-responsive polymer actuator beads, in this way benefiting from multiple IR photonic effects to strongly control the wide-band transmission of thermal radiation and to provide for a sharp, dynamic response. This design shows a wide dynamic ambient setpoint temperature window of approximately $16{\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}\mathrm{C}$, meaning that the wearer is comfortable between 9.5 and $25.7{\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}\mathrm{C}$, wider than any theoretically reported or fabricated switchable fabric. This performance indicates a polyvalent user comfort and an important energy saving potential for residential and office buildings.