New 3D printed fabric cools 55% more than cotton

US-based researchers have designed a thermal regulation textile that has a 55% greater cooling effect than cotton.The material can be fabricated using 3D printing and could provide a simple, low-cost way to cool the human body and reduce the need for air conditioning on hot days.

Researchers at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) are hard at work developing a new textile that could, one day, don as our own personal cooling unit, without the need of any external energy source for power. The study, titled “Three-Dimensional Printed Thermal Regulation Textiles” published in the American Chemical Society’s journal ACS Nano , investigates the potential of 3D printing in manufacturing high-tech fabrics designed to keep you cool .

Clothes that help cool us down,We now have moisture-wicking and smell-proof athletic gear, and shirts and tops coated with a chemical layer that blocks ultraviolet rays.

The 3D printed fabric is developed from nanofibres consisting of boron nitride and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) that are highly aligned, uniform, and densely packed. It would provide a low-cost way to cool the body and reduce the need for air conditioning, said researchers.

The researchers combined boron nitride—a material that transfers heat—and polyvinyl alcohol to create a nanocomposite fiber that can be 3-D printed and woven into fabric. Testing to simulate the material on skin showed that the composite is 1.5 to 2 times more efficient at moving heat away from the body when compared to pure polyvinyl alcohol or cotton fabrics, respectively. Making clothes with the nanocomposite thread could help keep wearers comfortable and reduce the need to cool entire buildings, the researchers say.