News

Soft Robotic Textiles for Adaptive Personal Thermal Management

Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), and Dr Dahua Shou, Member of RCTFF, collaborated with other researchers and published an article entitled “Soft Robotic Textiles for Adaptive Personal Thermal Management” in Advanced Science.   ABSTRACT Thermal protective textiles are crucial for safeguarding individuals, particularly firefighters and steelworkers, against extreme heat, and for preventing burn injuries. However, traditional firefighting gear suffers from statically fixed thermal insulation properties, potentially resulting in overheating and discomfort in moderate conditions, and insufficient protection in extreme fire events. Herein, an innovative soft robotic textile is developed for dynamically adaptive thermal management, providing superior personal protection and thermal comfort across a spectrum of environmental temperatures. This unique textile features a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-sealed actuation system, embedded with a low boiling point fluid for reversible phase transition, resembling an endoskeleton that triggers an expansion within the textile matrix for enhanced air gap and thermal insulation. The thermal resistance improves automatically from 0.23 to 0.48 Km2 W−1 by self-actuating under intense heat, exceeding conventional textiles by maintaining over 10 °C cooler temperatures. Additionally, the knitted substrate incorporated into the soft actuators can substantially mitigate convective heat transfer, as evidenced by the thermal resistance tests and the temperature mapping derived from numerical simulations. Moreover, it boasts significantly increased moisture permeability. The thermoadaptation and breathability of this durable all-fabric system signify considerable progress in the development of protective clothing with high comfort for dynamic and extreme temperature conditions.   Read the full article in Advanced Science. URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202309605

RCTFF Secured Funding from the Innovation and Technology Fund

Dr Tracy Mok (Associate Director of RCTFF), Prof. Jintu Fan (Director of RCTFF), and Ir Prof. Albert Chan (Member of RCTFF), recently have secured approximately HK$5 million from the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) for a 2-year research project entitled “Multimode Anti-Heating Green Uniforms for Construction Workers in Hong Kong – A complete ESG development and Management Proposal”.   This project aims to develop new Multimode Anti-Heating green fabrics and garments for the production of construction worker uniforms in Hong Kong. The project will investigate new methods that best integrate novel knitting fabric structure as well as fabric surface modification approaches to realise new radiative cooling fabrics for construction worker uniforms. For moisture management, the new uniforms will allow fast and one-way moisture transportation from skin to outer surface of the garments. It can keep the skin dry and prevent the clothing layer sticking to the skin even in an excessive sweating condition. For thermal management, the garments can facilitate the dissipation of mid-infrared radiation from human body to the environment for passive cooling while the outer layer of the fabrics can reflect solar radiation in a broad spectrum (near-IR, visible, UV) to reduce the heat absorption in outdoor environment. New fabrics and uniforms will be developed, tested and evaluated so as to suggest new standard/guideline for the production and management of construction worker uniforms, ensuring compliance to the new quality requirements.

Personal Thermal Management by Radiative Cooling and Heating

Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), Prof. Xungai Wang and Dr Dahua Shou, Members of RCTFF, collaborated with other researchers and published an article entitled “Personal Thermal Management by Radiative Cooling and Heating” in Nano-Micro Letters.   ABSTRACT Maintaining thermal comfort within the human body is crucial for optimal health and overall well-being. By merely broadening the set-point of indoor temperatures, we could significantly slash energy usage in building heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems. In recent years, there has been a surge in advancements in personal thermal management (PTM), aiming to regulate heat and moisture transfer within our immediate surroundings, clothing, and skin. The advent of PTM is driven by the rapid development in nano/micro-materials and energy science and engineering. An emerging research area in PTM is personal radiative thermal management (PRTM), which demonstrates immense potential with its high radiative heat transfer efficiency and ease of regulation. However, it is less taken into account in traditional textiles, and there currently lies a gap in our knowledge and understanding of PRTM. In this review, we aim to present a thorough analysis of advanced textile materials and technologies for PRTM. Specifically, we will introduce and discuss the underlying radiation heat transfer mechanisms, fabrication methods of textiles, and various indoor/outdoor applications in light of their different regulation functionalities, including radiative cooling, radiative heating, and dual-mode thermoregulation. Furthermore, we will shine a light on the current hurdles, propose potential strategies, and delve into future technology trends for PRTM with an emphasis on functionalities and applications.   Read the full article in Nano-Micro Letters. URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-024-01360-1

A Durable, Breathable, and Weather-Adaptive Coating Driven by Particle Self-Assembly for Radiative Cooling and Energy Harvesting

Dr Dahua Shou, Member of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion, collaborated with other researchers and published an article entitled “A Durable, Breathable, and Weather-Adaptive Coating Driven by Particle Self-Assembly for Radiative Cooling and Energy Harvesting” in Nano Energy.   ABSTRACT The imperative to attain net-zero emissions emphasizes energy conservation. Radiative cooling stands out as a compelling technology in this pursuit for its self-sufficiency and cost-effectiveness. However, the radiative cooling faces the challenge in varied weather, including high ultraviolet (UV), cloudy and rainy days, primarily due to instability of radiative cooling materials and mono-energy conservation mechanism. To address this, a durable, breathable, and weather-adaptive coating (porous PTFE coating) is developed through assembling polyfluortetraethylene (PTFE) nanoparticles enabled by the differential interaction in a binary-solvent system. The porous PTFE coating exhibits high solar reflectivity (94%) and thermal emissivity (93%), which results from the precisely tunable assembly of PTFE nanoparticles, forming a desired porous morphology. This serves as effective scattering, achieving a sub-ambient cooling effect of approximately 5 ℃ at midday. With an outstanding UV protection factor (UPF) of 179.15, the porous PTFE coating sustained stability after 40 days exposure to solar radiation. Leveraging the porous PTFE coating's exceptional negative triboelectric effect, an engineered high-performance droplet electricity nanogenerator (DEG) achieves a notable power density of 153.8mW/m2, revealing significant potential for raindrop energy harvesting on rainy days. The versatile porous PTFE coating, with its exceptional weather adaptation and UV stability, holds promise for diverse applications, advancing sustainable and efficient energy solutions with reliability in varying conditions.   Read the full article in Nano Energy. URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2024.109489

Shenzhou International Group Holdings Limited visited The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Mr Jian-Rong Ma, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director, along with a delegation from Shenzhou International Group Holdings Limited (Shenzhou), visited The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on 2 February 2024. Shenzhou is the largest vertically-integrated knitwear manufacturer in China. Its primary production base is situated in the Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone. The delegation was warmly received by Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), and his research team. Prof. Fan and his team presented their research work on Breathable Fabrics and a mockup of their Fashion Style Recommendation System. Meanwhile, Mr Ma shared his views on the Fashion and Textile Industry. Both sides anticipated ongoing, comprehensive collaboration in the future. The delegation also had the opportunity to meet with Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, President of PolyU. Prof. Teng presented Mr Ma with a certificate, appointing him as a member of the International Advisory Committee of RCTFF. The visit provided a platform for potential collaborations between Shenzhou and PolyU.

3D Cellular Solar Crystallizer for Stable and Ultra-Efficient High-Salinity Wastewater Treatment

Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), and Dr Zhanxiao Kang, Member of RCTFF, collaborated with other researchers and published an article entitled “3D Cellular Solar Crystallizer for Stable and Ultra-Efficient High-Salinity Wastewater Treatment” in Advanced Science.   ABSTRACT Recent developed interfacial solar brine crystallizers, which employ solar-driven water evaporation for salts crystallization from the near-saturation brine to achieve zero liquid discharge (ZLD) brine treatment, are promising due to their excellent energy efficiency and sustainability. However, most existing interfacial solar crystallizers are only tested using NaCl solution and failed to maintain high evaporation capability when treating real seawater due to the scaling problem caused by the crystallization of high-valent cations.   Herein, an artificial tree solar crystallizer (ATSC) with a multi-branched and interconnected open-cell cellular structure that significantly increased evaporation surface is rationally designed, achieving an ultra-high evaporation rate (2.30 kg m−2 h−1 during 2 h exposure) and high energy efficiency (128%) in concentrated real seawater. The unit cell design of ATSC promoted salt crystallization on the outer frame rather than the inner voids, ensuring that salt crystallization does not affect the continuous transport of brine through the pores inside the unit cell, thus ATSC can maintain a stable evaporation rate of 1.94 kg m−2 h−1 on average in concentrated seawater for 80 h continuous exposure. The design concept of ATSC represents a major step forward toward ZLD treatment of high-salinity brine in many industrial processes is believed.   Read the full article in Advanced Science. URL: http://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202305313

Prof. Jintu Fan appointed as Visiting Chief Scientist of Donghua University

Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion and Chair Professor of Fiber Science and Apparel Engineering, was appointed as Visiting Chief Scientist of the Shanghai International Fashion Innovation Centre (SIFIC), Donghua University for a period of three years, from 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2026.  Prof. Fan will provide professional advice and strategic inputs to the Center in relation to disciplinary development, scientific research, talent development, international collaboration and other matters. These include but not limited to: formulating development plans and goals, identifying frontier research directions, building high-level research teams, nurturing leading fashion innovators, steering independent innovative research, promoting collaborations with world-renowned universities and research institutions, and driving the commercialisation of the Centre’s research achievements.

Prof. Jintu Fan shares insights at World Textile University Alliance Annual Meeting

Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) and Chair Professor of Fiber Science and Apparel Engineering, shared his views on the latest development in textile science at the 2nd International Conference on Advanced Textile Science and Technology & World Textile University Alliance Annual Meeting held from 13 to 15 October 2023 at Donghua University in Shanghai, China. With the theme of “Advanced Textile Science and Technology”, the Conference provided an important platform for the global exchange of textile technologies and cross-sectoral cooperation. The Conference included more than 170 keynote presentations and was joined by over 400 textile scholars from 63 organisations in 15 countries. Prof. Fan said that advanced apparel and textiles should strike a balance among visual aesthetics, sustainability and functionality. An illustrative example is the thermo-regulating fabric for personal thermal management, which uses phase-change materials and nanomaterials to regulate the radiative cooling of the human body to achieve intelligent, dynamic thermoregulation in hot and humid environments. The current challenges of thermo-regulating fabrics include two aspects: one is that thermal fabrics should be breathable and lightweight, and the other is the development of cooling fabrics. Online coverage: China News Service - https://polyu.me/48XdYu2 The Paper - https://polyu.me/3S0UzlW East Money - https://polyu.me/3QiFVW5 East Day - https://polyu.me/3FlrCKe NetEase - https://polyu.me/46Dho3W Sohu - https://polyu.me/3tthzQm Toutiao - https://polyu.me/48SNolY

Dr Dahua Shou awarded The Fiber Society’s 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award

Dr Dahua Shou, Member of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), and Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies, and Assistant Professor in the School of Fashion and Textiles, has been bestowed with the 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award by The Fiber Society. The Fiber Society is a scientific association dedicated to the advancement of knowledge pertaining to fibres, fibre-based products, and fibrous materials. The Award is presented annually to an outstanding researcher under the age of 40 who has made significant contributions to the field of fibre science and engineering worldwide.

PAIR researchers develop “Sweatextile”,​the world’s first “skin-like” moisture-wicking fabric

Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), Associate Director of the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) and Member of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), and Dr Dahua Shou, Member of RISports, RI-IWEAR, Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) and RCTFF, have developed the world’s first “skin-like” fabric directional liquid transport fabric, “Sweatextile”. The fabric enables fast one-way liquid flow through spatially distributed channels that act like “sweating glands” while repelling external liquid contaminants. The research “Skin-like fabric for personal moisture management” was published in Science Advances. Read the research paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aaz0013