Science Daily April 10, 2023
There are evidence that polar-dwelling animals have evolved a different mechanism of thermoregulation by using optical polymer materials to achieve an on-body “greenhouse” effect. Researchers at UMass Amherst designed a bilayer textile to mimic these adaptations. They showed that two ultralightweight fabrics with complementary optical functions, a polypropylene visible-transparent insulator and a nylon visible-absorber–infrared-reflector coated with a conjugated polymer, performed the same putative function as polar bear hair and skin, respectively. While retaining familiar textile qualities, these layers suppressed dissipation of body heat and maximized radiative absorption of visible light. Under moderate illumination of 130 W/m2, the textile achieved a heating effect of +10 °C relative to a typical cotton T-shirt which is 30% heavier. Current approaches to personal radiative heating are limited to absorber/reflector layer optimization and fail to reproduce the thermoregulation afforded by the absorber–transmitter structure of polar animal pelts. According to the researchers with increasing pressures to adapt to a rapidly changing climate, their work leverages optical polymers to bridge this gap and evolve the basic function of textiles… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Graphical abstract. Credit: ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXX, April 5, 2023