Investigation of thermal comfort properties of electrospun nanofiber mats

Abstract

Thermal comfort properties such as air permeability, water vapor permeability and thermal resistance of a hydrophobic thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and a hydrophilic poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) electrospun nanofiber mats were evaluated in this study. Polycarboxylic acid; 1,2,3,4 butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) was selected as cross-linking agent for PVA nanofibers. The aim of this study is to examine thermal comfort properties of both a hydrophobic and a hydrophilic nanofiber mat. The results revealed that air permeability of nanofibrous membranes was considerably low which provides a barrier effect. On the other hand, despite low air permeability, these materials showed superior water vapor permeability characteristic, which will sustain breathability of the skin.