Some clothing manufacturers equip their jackets sensors tracking health status and other electronics. Such functions are certainly interesting, but most consumers expect from clothing is very simple thing — it is important that it is warmed in the cold and refreshing in the heat. Fortunately, some teams of researchers are perfectly aware of this — so, for example, researchers from the University of Maryland (UMD) has developed adapts to the temperature of the material from which you can make an excellent sports t shirts.
For tissue engineering, researchers inspired important property of the human body — it exchanges heat with the environment by means of a heat radiation. Manufacturers of sportswear are already using boost, the throughput of the materials, but their properties remain active at all times, not just when it is needed.
The fabric react to changes in body temperature during physical activity, the researchers made it from yarn consisting of two fibers in absorbing and repelling moisture. Due to different reactions to moisture perspiration fiber body are pressed against each other, the filaments become thinner and fabric formed pores. Also the fabric is carbon nanotubes, which increase its radiating capacity.
If you look at what is happening the whole picture, it turns out that in sports the human body is cooled two ways. First, it is vented through pores in the t-shirt. Secondly, nanotubes help the body to take more heat. When a person is calm and does not sweat, the material maintains optimal temperature, and a person does not feel excessive cold.
To test the effectiveness of tissue, the researchers placed it in a container with controlled humidity. By measuring its passing ability, the researchers found that when humidity increases to more than 90%, passing ability, respectively, increased to 35.4%.
Creation of materials for clothing “of the future” are engaged in many research groups and companies. Sometimes they do not need to create — at the end of 2018 firm Fast Company released a jacket made of graphene, which is also perfectly removes and retains heat depending on the surrounding conditions.
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