Engineered fabric-based composite panels from natural and synthetic fibers with tailored pore structures for effective thermal-acoustic insulation in green buildings

To mitigate the environmental impact of conventional thermal and acoustic insulators, such as high carbon footprint, high installation costs, and limited biodegradability, this study presents a novel fabrication approach for seamless, double-layer fabric-based composite panels with engineered hollow structures that integrate natural and synthetic fibers. Unlike conventional composites, these panels are formed from custom-woven textile sections, creating a tailored pore architecture integral to the material. Four distinct textile compositions comprising 100% cotton, 60% wool/40% polyester, 100% flax, and 100% polyester were developed in two pore architectures to optimize multifunctional insulation performance. Each panel was evaluated and compared to benchmark commercial panels in terms of thermal, acoustic, and mechanical properties. Thermal conductivity measurements revealed that fine-pore structures exhibited optimal insulation properties, ranging between 0.16 and 0.19 W/m·K, with the 60% wool/40% polyester fine-pore structure panels achieving the lowest value (0.16 W/m·K). Acoustic testing demonstrated superior sound absorption coefficients (SAC) in case of coarse-pore structures, particularly for the 60% wool/40% polyester (SAC = 0.51) and 100% flax (SAC = 0.42) composites. This performance was consistently effective across the tested frequency range of 100–1000 Hz. In addition, the flexural strength testing identified the fine-pore 60% wool/40% polyester composite panels as the most robust, withstanding the highest load before failure (1198.1 N). The flexural strength of these panels surpassed that of other material in both pore sizes, demonstrating their superior mechanical durability. These results highlight a novel class of eco-friendly, cost-effective, high-performance fabric-based composites, setting a foundation for sustainable building technologies.