Chinese team makes fabric to cool without electricity

Scientists in China have developed a material that cools the wearer without using any electricity. The fabric transfers heat, allows moisture to evaporate from the skin and repels water. Thermal conductivity of the new fabric is higher than that of many other conventional or high-tech fabrics. The research is published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Cooling off a person’s body is much more efficient than cooling an entire room or building. Various clothing and textiles have been designed to do just that, but most have disadvantages, such as poor cooling capacity; large electricity consumption; complex, time-consuming manufacturing; and/or high cost.