A Robust Core-Shell Nanofabric with Personal Protection, Health Monitoring and Physical Comfort for Smart Sportswear

Abstract

Smart textiles with a high level of personal protection, health monitoring, physical comfort, and wearing durability are highly demanded in clothing for harsh application scenarios, such as modern sportswear. However, seamlessly integrating such a smart clothing system has been a long-sought but challenging goal. Herein, based on coaxial electrospinning techniques, a smart non-woven textile (Smart-NT) integrated with high impact resistance is developed, multisensory functions, and radiative cooling effects. This Smart-NT is comprised of core-shell nanofibers with an ionic conductive polymer sheath and an impact-stiffening polymer core. The soft smart textile, with a thickness of only 800 µm, can attenuate over 60% of impact force, sense pressure stimulus with sensitivity up to 201.5 kPa⁻¹, achieve temperature sensing resolution of 0.1 °C, and reduce skin temperature by ≈17 °C under a solar intensity of 1 kW m⁻². In addition, the stretchable Smart-NT is highly durable and robust, retaining its multifunction features over 10 000 bending and multiple washing cycles. Finally, application scenarios are demonstrated for real-time health monitoring, body protection, and physical comfort of smart sportswear based on Smart-NT for outdoor sports. The strategy opens a new avenue for seamless integration of smart clothing systems.