Stretchable, durable and asymmetrically wettable nanofiber composites with unidirectional water transportation capability for temperature sensing

Yang Tang; Jun Yan; Wei Xiao; Xuewu Huang; Longcheng Tang; Yongqian Shi; Pingan Song; Jiefeng Gao

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.03.088

Stretchable, durable and asymmetrically wettable nanofiber composites with unidirectional water transportation capability for temperature sensing

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Jul:641:893-902. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.03.088. Epub 2023 Mar 17.

Authors

Yang Tang¹, Jun Yan¹, Wei Xiao¹, Xuewu Huang², Longcheng Tang³, Yongqian Shi⁴, Pingan Song⁵, Jiefeng Gao⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225002, China.
² Testing Center, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province 225002, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology of Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, People's Republic of China.
⁴ College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, 2 Xueyuan Road, Fuzhou 350116, People's Republic of China.
⁵ School of Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield Central 4300, Australia; Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology of Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China.
⁶ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225002, China; Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology of Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: jfgao@yzu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36972624
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.03.088

Abstract

The one-way transportation of liquids plays an important role in smart and wearable electronics. Here, we report an asymmetric nanofibrous membrane (ANM) with unidirectional water transport (UWT) capability by integrating one superhydrophilic MXene/Chitosan/Polyurethane (PU) nanofiber membrane (MCPNM) and one ultrathin hydrophobic PU/Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) layer with a "bead-on-string" structure. The UWT performance shows long-term stability and can be well maintained during the cyclic stretching, abrasion and ultrasonic washing tests. The ANM exhibits negative temperature coefficient and is served as a temperature sensor to monitor the temperature variation of the environment, which can provide efficient alarm signals in a hot or cold condition. When attached on person's skin, the ANM displays a unique anti-gravity UWT behavior. The stretchable, wearable and multi-functional nanofibrous composite membrane with an asymmetric wettability shows potential applications in flexible and wearable electronics, health monitoring, etc.

Keywords: Electrical properties; Electrospinning; Nanocomposites; Wettability.