An adjustable transpiration polyimide membrane for highly efficient personal drying and warming

Abstract

Functional textiles with efficient sweat releasing and thermal insulating play a pivotal role in maintaining physiological comfort in cold winter. However, the breathability and warmth have conflicting structural demands on the conventional fabric. Here, a porous polyimide film (PIF) with tunable sweat release capability was prepared by growing a graphene layer through laser-ablation strategy. Jungle-like graphene layer offers the porous PI film with distinct advantages, including a desired super hydrophobic performance (water contact angle =153°), rapid air permeability (1572 g/m2·24 h), quick drying function based on high photo-thermal and electro-thermal conversion efficiency, and outstanding thermal insulating capability (0.033 W/m·K). Moreover, the graphene layer can also be custom printed into various patterns, which expanded the application scenarios for wearable flexible electronics. Overall, this Janus design offered insight into the proactive control of sweat release and heat transfer within the hierarchical and interconnected network, providing promising benefits to the development of multifunctional drying and warming textiles.