Enhanced Photothermal Based-Heat Retention in Regenerated Cellulose Fibers via Ceramic Particles and Polyelectrolyte Binders-Based Surface Functionalization

There has been growing interest and increasing attention in the field of functional clothing textiles, particularly in product and process development, as well as innovations in heat-generating, retaining, and releasing fibers to maintain a healthy body temperature without relying on unsustainable energy sources. This study, for the first time, reports the various physio-mechanical properties of surface-functionalized regenerated cellulose fibers (RCFs) coated with ceramic particles. The coating imparts photothermal conversion-based heat generation and retention properties with the aid of polyelectrolyte binders. In this design, ZrC enables the conversion of light energy into thermal energy, providing heat for the human body. A feasible coating process was employed, utilizing industrially feasible exhaustion methods to deposit the ZrC particles onto the RCF surface in conjunction with two distinctive polymeric binders, specifically polyethyleneimine (PEI) and polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (polyDADMAC). The morphological characteristics and tensile properties of the coated RCFs were analyzed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and single-fiber tensile testing. Heat retention and release behaviors of a bundle of fiber samples were assessed using infrared (IR) imaging and an IR emission lamp setup. The SEM results confirmed the successful coating of the ZrC particles on the surface of the RCF samples, influencing negligible on their physical-mechanical properties. The heat retention of the coated RCFs with ZrC and both binders was higher than that of reference regenerated cellulose fibers (RCFs), demonstrating their effective heat generation, retention, and heat release properties. Based on the highlighted prominent results for the coated RCFs, these findings highlight the suitability of the developed functional clothing textiles for targeted applications in non-extreme thermal conditions, ensuring thermo-physiological comfort by maintaining body temperature within a tolerable thermal range (36.5-37.5 °C), in contrast to studies reporting significantly higher temperatures (50-78 °C) for extreme thermal conditions.