Multi-inspired Janus fabrics with asymmetric coolmax patterns for rapid sweat diffusion and effective sweat-shedding

Abstract

Janus fabrics with unidirectional liquid transport property have attracted wide attention for their ability to remove excess sweat and lower skin temperature. However, most Janus fabrics face the sweat removal issue on their outer surface when the sweat absorption capacity of their hydrophilic surface reaches limit, which inevitably slows down one-way sweat transport rate and induces the fabrics to become heavy/clingy. Herein, inspired by natural Namib Desert beetles and drip tips, circular Coolmax patterns (severed as sweat extraction points near the skin) and triangular Coolmax patterns (severed as sweat removal zones on the outside of the fabric) are asymmetrically sewn on superhydrophobic cotton fabrics to enable continues one-way sweat transport and allow effective sweat diffusion/shedding on its outer surface. During the sweat transporting and evaporation process, a large amount of heat is dissipated. As a result, the created Janus fabrics can maintain human body temperature about 1.3 ℃ lower than the conventional cotton fabric. Moreover, the low adhesion (∼0.2 mN cm−2) between the wet skin and the fabric makes wearers feel more comfortable. The method can be potentially used for the large-scale commercial production of Janus fabrics and provide insights for the development of smart fabrics in the future.