An infrared-transparent textile with high drawing processed Nylon 6 nanofibers

Abstract

Infrared (IR)-transparent radiative cooling textiles show great promise for achieving personal thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption. However, besides a few synthetic fiber materials proposed as IR-transparent textiles, traditional textile materials used to achieve IR transparency have not been realized, impeding large-scale practical applications. Here, based on a common textile material Nylon 6 (PA6), we design a high drawing process with rapid solvent evaporation to achieve IR-transparent PA6 textiles. By altering the chain conformations and crystal structures, the molecular vibrations in the IR region (IR absorption) of PA6 can be significantly weakened. Meanwhile, this process also tailors the fiber to the nanoscale and minimizes IR reflection. Consequently, a human body covered by our textile can stay 2.1 °C cooler than with cotton, corresponding to ~20% indoor energy savings in cooling. We expect that our work offers an innovative pathway to regulate IR radiation for personal thermal management.