An Eco-friendly Approach of Preparation Electric-driven Thermochromic Fabrics Based on Foam Finishing

Abstract

The novel strategy to endow Janus fabric with double-sided dual functions based on foam finishing was reported, which is an energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly method. The wet-state foam infiltration mechanism on the fabric surface was investigated, and the stability of the foam in solution was analysed in relation to surface tension and viscosity, as well as the loading capacity of the functional particles and the effect on fabric properties. And the controlled discoloration Janus fabric, driving by voltage, has been successfully created. The fabric shows remarkable electrothermal color-changing properties and wearability, and can be self-supplied with Joule heat to meet the demand of color change at any time: the temperature of the Janus fabric rapidly increases from room temperature to over 53.6 °C in 15s at the applied voltage of 8V, and the fabric temperature can be adjusted in the range of 20~62.5±3℃ at the voltage of 0~8V. The fabric color can be transformed from blue to white within 6s, and it can restore the color after 10s of power off. Besides, the Janus fabric has excellent flexibility and resistance to heating fatigue, which can withstand 1000 bending cycles, and it was found that the Janus fabric has excellent temperature and color stability after 300 heating/cooling cycles and 6hours of continuous energization. Compared to conventional finishing, the foam-finished Janus fabric not only possesses greater air permeability and handling properties, but also more energy savings. The experimental results show that the study of foam finishing is useful for expanding the application of surface science in fabric performance enhancement and provides a valuable reference for the green and smart development of textiles.