Lizard Scale-Inspired Asymmetric Solar-Confined Textiles Enabling Scalable Bi-directional Thermoregulation

Abstract

Integration of radiative cooling and heating within a single textile is essential for effectively maintaining human thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption. However, most existing radiative thermal-management textiles depend either on complex micro/nanostructure fabrication techniques or on the simple stacking of cooling and heating layers, both of which substantially limit their scalability and long-term durability in practical applications. Here, we report a scalable dual-mode thermal management textile with biomimetic asymmetric solar confinement (ASCT), achieved through the design of asymmetric micro/nano-structures guided by controlled fiber-orientation alignment. ASCT demonstrates excellent solar modulation capability, with the high solar confinement (HSC) side exhibiting a solar absorptance of 97%, while the low solar confinement (LSC) side maintains a significantly lower absorptance of only 4.9%. Additionally, the mid-infrared (MIR) emissivity contrast between the two sides reaches up to 40%. Compared to conventional textiles, ASCT significantly enhances the thermal modulation range by up to 15 °C. More importantly, ASCT has mechanical robustness, breathability, softness, and durability tailored for wearable applications. This work offers a novel path to the structural design and scalable fabrication of textiles, which is expected to accelerate their advancement and practical deployment.

Graphical abstract

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