Unidirectional water transport fabric with nanoscale Hydrophilic/hydrophobic pattern for personal moisture and thermal management

Abstract

Unidirectional water transport fabrics play a vital role in maintaining moisture and thermal comfort of the human body. Inspired by the competitive dyeing phenomenon in the field of dyeing and finishing, this work proposed a two-step method to fabricate unidirectional water transport fabric with nanoscale hydrophilic/hydrophobic pattern (PUWTF). PUWTF is able to prompt water transport spontaneously from hydrophobic side to hydrophilic side but not vice versa. The existence of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic pattern speeds up the water penetrate process efficiently. More importantly, the superior unidirectional water transport capability endows PUWTF with extremely low adhesive force (3.9 cN), keeping skin dry. And PUWTF could maintain the skin cooler by 1.3 ℃ compared with the pristine cotton fabric. In addition, the PUWTF possesses superior durability with withstanding 25 home laundry cycles, 50 friction cycles and 6 months of storage. As expected, the coating barely affects the color, which is beneficial for individualized needs. This fabrication strategy can provide the insights for the development and creation of more efficient and adaptive personal moisture and thermal management fabrics.