Revolutionizing textile: Advanced techniques for superior thermal conductivity

Improving thermal conductivity in textile/composites is crucial for heat dissipation in apparel and engineering. Apparel textiles’ thermal conductivities rarely exceed 1.0 W/(m·K), limiting efficient personal thermal management. Advances in silver conductive yarn and heat-stretched polyethylene show promise for ultra-high thermal conductivity materials. In electronic packaging, materials’ thermal conductivities rarely exceed 40 W/(m·K), causing overheating and reduced reliability. Techniques like freeze-drying and templating can enhance boron nitride composites’ thermal conductivity. Aerospace and automotive composites with mechanical and flame-retardant properties rarely exceed 120 W/(m·K), leading to potential safety hazards. Recent advancements indicate that mechanical structure enhancement and chemical surface modification can improve carbon composites’ thermal conductivity. Understanding existing enhancement techniques and mechanisms is essential. This paper reviews these techniques, discussing their potentials and limitations for future high thermal conductive textiles and composites development.