High-performance smart cellulose nanohybrid aerogel fibers as a platform toward multifunctional textiles

Abstract

Smart fibers capable of real-time multi-responses to external stimuli (e.g., thermal, electrical, mechanical, and humidity) and offering shielding from electromagnetic interference (EMI) as well as energy storage/conversion are essential units for wearable electronics and smart textiles. However, designing flexible and high-strength smart fibers with intelligent and integrative functions based on biomass resources is still a challenge. Herein, biodegradable, flexible, and high-strength (20.8 MPa) holocellulose nanofibrils/cellulose aerogel fibers (HCAFs) with high specific surface area (413 m2/g) and high porosity (85 %) are fabricated continuously and on large-scale via a nano-hybrid strategy and facile wet-spinning approach. The resulting smart textile woven with HCAFs exhibits excellent self-cleaning and thermal insulation performances over a wide temperature range. Furthermore, our fabricated holocellulose nanofibrils/carbon nanotubes/cellulose aerogel fiber (HCCAFs) textile shows outstanding thermal management and multifunctional sensing capabilities of human motions, temperature, humidity, and body fluid as well as EMI shielding performance. HCCAFs textile coupled with a thermoelectric generator can achieve highly efficient and reversible energy storage/conversion as well as solar-thermal-electrical power generation for power supply. The washing process has a negligible influence on mechanical properties, conductivity properties, and thermal insulation of the textile. These newly developed fibers represent very promising candidates for the next generation of wearable materials capable of multifunctional sensing, outstanding thermal insulation, high-quality thermal management, and power autonomy (e.g., in space suits).