The preservation of physiological thermal homeostasis serves as a fundamental prerequisite for human endurance at all times. However, conventional single-purpose thermoregulatory materials frequently lack highly efficient integrated strategies to cope with diverse environmental demands. Here, an interface-confined assembly strategy that leverages interfacial rheology is developed to synthesize a carbon nanofiber metafabric with a hollow aerogel architecture for high-efficiency thermoregulation. By manipulating the interfacial viscosity gradient to suppress the inward radial diffusion of the sheath layer, phase separation within the shell layer is confined to an extremely thin thickness. Subsequently, the metafabric is obtained following the synchronized hierarchical pores evolution through preoxidation and optimized graphitization. With an ultrathin thickness of only 85 μm, the resulting metafabric exhibits efficient electrothermal capability (adjustable from 28 to 163 °C), photothermal property (radiation raised temperature by 44 °C), and passive thermal insulation (surface temperature ≈4 °C closer to ambient than that of commercial cotton). Simultaneously, the metafabric retains robust bending flexibility (fracture-free under large-angle) and breathability (water vapor transmission rate ≈3.2 kg m–2 d–1), ensuring both durability and wearable comfort. This work provides rich possibilities to develop advanced carbon nanomaterials for thermoregulation, holding great potential for next-generation smart textiles, all-weather personal thermal management, and energy-efficient wearable electronics.
Gao et al. (Sat,) studied this question.