Scalable production of robust, moisture-wicking, and breathable superfine mycelium fiber/waterborne polyurethane leather-like textile via direct casting and oven-drying

Superfine fiber synthetic leather has become an inevitable trend. However, the moisture-wicking and breathability of these leather-like materials are significantly inferior to that of natural leather products, making them stuffy to wear. In addition, the superfine fiber is mainly produced from petrochemical resources, presenting poor sustainability. Herein, this work presents a scalable method to produce sustainable superfine mycelium fiber (SMF) from natural resources (e.g., poplar sawdust, gypsum and flour). The SMF was then combined with waterborne polyurethane (WPU) to fabricate moisture-wicking and breathable textiles through casting and oven-drying directly. The obtained composite textiles exhibit high porosity (68.9 %) and tensile strength (18.81 MPa) compared to that of WPU due to the incorporation of SMF. What’s more, the textile presents rapid water absorption, a competitive drying rate and temperature-adaptive water vapor transmission (WVT). Consequently, this work provides a promising strategy for producing comfort-enhancing functional textiles as an alternative to superfine fiber synthetic leather. • Scalable production of sustainable superfine mycelium fibers (SMF). • Simple casting and oven-drying for SMF/waterborne polyurethane (WPU) composite textiles. • The textile presents enhanced porosity, tensile strength, and moisture-wicking performance. • The textile provided a potential way for developing sustainable leather-like materials.