Electro-blown spinning of hygroscopic breathable fabrics with patterned antisymmetrical wettability for visualized health state diagnosis

Abstract

Perspiration conduction is essential for regulating the body's water and temperature balance. Significant advancements have been achieved in the field of textiles engineered for guiding water movement, thanks to their outstanding and practical control of uneven wetting properties. This progress carries important implications for preserving energy, promoting human well-being, and enhancing comfort. Nonetheless, current textile materials intended for sweat conduction are primarily focus on unidirectional transport of water, neglecting the air permeability during water transportation results in dampness and stickiness especially during heavy perspiration. In this study, a fabric with a tailored antisymmetrical wettability establishing an array of gas transport windows was fabricated via electro-blown spinning, endowing the fabric with long-term air permeability. It demonstrated an air permeability rate (APR) of up to 307.49 mm s⁻¹, a water vapor transmission (WVT) rate of 3133.76 g m⁻² day⁻¹, and a water absorption rate (WAR) capacity of 2039.01 %. Especially, during the process of sweat wicking, the water infiltration restricted air permeability, however, the designed breathable window still maintained a high gas permeation rate of up to 214.61 mm s⁻¹, which was much higher than non-soaked commercial jeans and lab coat. Additionally, blueberry anthocyanins was incorporated into fabrics, acting as a portable sweat pH sensor based on colorimetric analysis, which was capable of monitoring the pH levels of sweat. When sweat shifted from acidic to alkaline, the anthocyanins underwent a structural transformation from flavylium cations to quinoid alkali. During the process, the fabric underwent a transition in color, changing from red to blue, which contributed to real-time monitoring of human body health performance in a non-invasive manner. This study presented a dependable method for creating intelligent textiles with patterned antisymmetric wettability, demonstrating significant promise for use in functional fabrics designed for individual moisture control.