Donghua University prepares bionic moisture-absorbing and quick-drying textile materials

Academician Yu Jianyong and Researcher Ding Bin from the Textile Technology Innovation Center of Donghua University led the nanofiber research team to make important progress in the field of moisture-absorbing and quick-drying functional textiles. The related results were recently published in the American Chemical Society-Nano.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for moisture absorbing and quick drying textile materials having a single guide wet function. The single-guide wet fabric delivers sweat and moisture from the body to the outside environment for fast drying and provides a comfortable micro-environment for the body. The preparation process of the existing single-guide wet fabric is complicated, and at the same time, since the conventional fiber has a small specific surface area, the derived moisture cannot be quickly evaporated, resulting in poor wearing comfort.

The research team prepared a biomimetic porous Murray single-guide wet fiber membrane by electrospinning technology to construct a dendritic network and surface energy gradient. Among them, the bionic tree-like multi-stage bifurcation network integrates multi-hole connected channels of macroporous-micron-submicron pores, has a multi-stage bifurcation structure similar to plant transpiration effect, and follows Murray's law to maximize the mass transport principle. The resulting biomimetic porous Murray film combines self-driven reversible gravity to guide water, rapid moisture absorption and desorption, and excellent inner layer quick drying performance.

The researchers' strategy of constructing bionic multi-stage pores and surface energy gradient structures provides new ideas for the design and performance improvement of moisture-absorbing and fast-drying micro-nanofiber membrane materials, and is expected to replace the existing commercial moisture-absorbing and quick-drying fabrics. Wide range of applications in high-end functional clothing, medical and health materials.

The researchers said that the multi-stage wetting structure of micro-nanofiber membrane materials will be further optimized, revealing the directional transport mechanism of water in the pores of fiber membranes, and expanding the material in functional textiles such as field uniforms, wound dressings, surgical gowns, and diapers. Applications.