Hong Kong scientists develop light-sensitive wicking textile
A novel type of fabric that can absorb water and perspiration on one side and transport it to the other has been invented by a team of textile scientists based at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU).
The research was carried out by Professor John Xin, acting head of PolyU’s Institute of Textile and Clothing; PhD student Miss Kong Yee-yee; and Dr Liu Yuyang of the Stevens Institute of Technology in the US. The researchers made the fabric hydrophilic on one side by coating it with nano titania, which gives the material photo-induced hydrophilicity. This means that its hydrophilicity can be controlled by light, the team claims. The fabric becomes hydrophobic after being stored in the dark.
The fabric could be used to wick sweat away from human skin, the researchers say. In light, water can be transported in a controllable manner from the hydrophobic side (next to the skin) to the hydrophilic side and then spread out rapidly along the channels on the hydrophilic side.
Current wicking materials work by creating a surface energy gradient across the fabric by a pressure difference. Professor John Xin’s work introduces nano and smart elements into the system, using titania’s properties.
