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RCTFF Successfully Hosts the Intelligent Healthcare Textile and Wearable Technology Symposium at the 14th China Textile Academic Conference

The Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) hosted the 14th China Textile Academic Conference - Intelligent Healthcare Textile and Wearable Technology Symposium on 26 October 2024. The symposium was organised by Dr Dahua Shou, Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies and Associate Professor of School of Fashion and Textiles (SFT), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Prof. Xiaoming Tao, Vincent and Lily Woo Professor in Textiles Technology and Chair Professor of SFT, PolyU, and Dr Dahua Shou were invited to be symposium chairs.   Prof. Xiaoming Tao from PolyU, Prof. Guangming Tao from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Prof. Wei Zhang from Nantong University, Prof. Li Liu from Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, Prof. Hongzhi Wang from Donghua University/Shanghai DianJi University, Prof. Mingwei Tian from Qingdao University, Prof. Wei Chen from Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, and Prof. Xianfeng Wang from Donghua University gave their respective presentations, covering the latest advancements and application transformations in areas such as intelligent wearable technology, optoelectronic functional fibres, moisture-induced electric generation, smart fibres, and wearable ion gel. The symposium attracted over 150 attendees, participants and speakers engaged in in-depth discussion, sharing their expertise and experiences.   The China Textile Academic Conference is an authoritative platform for high-end academic exchange, recognition of high-level innovative talents, and publication of excellent scientific research achievements, constructed by the China Textile Engineering Society. It has been selected multiple times for the "Guide to Key Academic Conferences" directory by the China Association for Science and Technology and has built a professional academic conference system encompassing main venues, thematic sub-venues, special forums, awards recognition, and exhibitions since its inception in 2011.

5 Nov, 2024

Research

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RCTFF Presented Research Achievements at the PAIR InnoTech Forum

PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) successfully held the PAIR InnoTech Forum on 19 October 2024. Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) was invited to join the Forum. Dr Tracy Mok, Associate Director of RCTFF delivered a keynote on the latest research achievements and potential applications of RCTFF projects.

24 Oct, 2024

Research

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Delegation from adidas and Shenzhou International Group Holdings Limited visited RCTFF

Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) welcomed delegates from adidas and Shenzhou International Group Holdings Limited on October 16th. Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of RCTFF, and his team introduced the latest research developments of RCTFF and discussed potential collaborations.

16 Oct, 2024

Research

2024 Worlds Top 2 Scientists

RCTFF Scholars Ranked Amongst the World’s Top 2% Scientists (2024)

Stanford University has recently released an updated list highlighting the top 2% of the most-cited scientists in various disciplines. The report was prepared by a team of experts led by Prof. John Ioannidis, the eminent Professor at the Stanford University. 18 members from the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) were recognised as the top 2% of scientists in the world. (As per the data published by Elsevier on 16 September 2024 (version 7)

7 Oct, 2024

Research

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Delegation from NIKE and Shenzhou International Group Holdings Limited visited RCTFF

Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) welcomed delegates from NIKE and Shenzhou International Group Holdings Limited on September 11th. Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of RCTFF, and his team introduced the latest research developments of RCTFF and explored potential collaborations.

12 Sep, 2024

Research

cover

PolyU Researchers Invent Intelligent Soft Robotic Clothing for Automatic Thermal Adaptation in Extreme Heat

As global warming intensifies, people increasingly suffer from extreme heat. For those working in a high-temperature environment indoors or outdoors, keeping thermally comfortable becomes particularly crucial. A team led by Dr Dahua SHOU, Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies, Associate Professor of the School of Fashion and Textiles, and Member of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed first-of-its-kind thermally-insulated and breathable soft robotic clothing that can automatically adapt to changing ambient temperatures, thereby helping to ensure worker safety in hot environments. Their research findings have been published in the international interdisciplinary journal Advanced Science. Maintaining a constant body temperature is one of the most critical requirements for living and working. High-temperature environments elevate energy consumption, leading to increased heat stress, thus exacerbating chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health issues and asthma, while also increasing the risk of infectious disease transmission. According to the World Health Organisation, globally, there were approximately 489,000 heat-related deaths annually between 2000 and 2019, with 45% occurring in Asia and 36% in Europe. Thermal protective clothing is essential to safeguard individuals in extreme high-temperature environments, such as firefighters who need to be present at fires scenes and construction workers who work outdoors for extended periods. However, traditional gear has been limited by statically fixed thermal resistance, which can lead to overheating and discomfort in moderate conditions, while its heat insulation may not offer sufficient protection in extreme fire events and other high-temperature environments. To address this issue, Dr Shou and his team have developed intelligent soft robotic clothing for automatic temperature adaptation and thermal insulation in hot environments, offering superior personal protection and thermal comfort across a range of temperatures. Their research was inspired by biomimicry in nature, like the adaptive thermal regulation mechanism in pigeons, which is mainly based on structural changes. Pigeons use their feathers to trap a layer of air surrounding their skin to reduce heat loss to the environment. When the temperature drops, they fluff up their feathers to trap a significant amount of still air, thereby increasing thermal resistance and retaining warmth. The protective clothing developed by the team uses soft robotic textile for dynamic adaptive thermal management. Soft actuators, designed like a human network-patterned exoskeleton and encapsulating a non-toxic, non-flammable, low-boiling-point fluid, were strategically embedded within the clothing. This thermo-stimulated system turns the fluid from a liquid into a gas when the ambient temperature rises, causing expansion of soft actuators and thickening the textile matrix, thereby enhancing the gap of still air and doubling the thermal resistance from 0.23 to 0.48 Km²/W. The protective clothing can also keep the inner surface temperatures at least 10°C cooler than conventional heat-resistant clothing, even when the outer surface reaches 120°C. This unique soft robotic textile, made by thermoplastic polyurethane, is soft, resilient and durable. Notably, it is far more skin-friendly and conformable than temperature-responsive clothing embedded with shape-memory alloys and is adjustable for a wide range of protective clothing. The soft actuators have exhibited no signs of leakage after undergoing rigorous standard washing tests. The porous, spaced knitting structure of the material can also significantly reduce convective heat transfer while maintaining high moisture breathability. Not relying on thermoelectric chips or circulatory liquid cooling systems for cooling or heat conduction, the light-weighted, soft robotic clothing can effectively regulate temperature itself without any energy consumption. Dr Shou said, “Wearing heavy firefighting gear can feel extremely stifling. When firefighters exit a fire scene and remove their gear, they are sometimes drained nearly a pound of sweat from their boots. This has motivated me to develop a novel suit capable of adapting to various environmental temperatures while maintaining excellent breathability. Our soft robotic clothing can seamlessly adapt to different seasons and climates, multiple working and living conditions, and transitions between indoor and outdoor environments to help users experience constant thermal comfort under intense heat.” Looking forward, Dr Shou finds the innovation to have a wide range of potential applications, from activewear, winter jackets, healthcare apparel and outdoor gear, to sustainable textile-based insulation for construction and buildings, contributing to energy-saving efforts. Supported by the Innovation and Technology Commission and the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, Dr Shou and his team have also extended the thermo-adaptive concept to develop inflatable, breathable jackets and warm clothing. This soft robotic clothing is suitable for low-temperature environments or sudden temperature drops to aid those who are stranded in the wilderness to maintain normal body temperature.

14 Aug, 2024

Research

Tough and Trabsparent

Tough and Transparent Supramolecular Cross-Linked Co-Assembled Silk Fibroin Films for Passive Radiative Cooling

Prof. Xungai Wang, Member of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion, collaborated with other researchers and published an article entitled “Tough and Transparent Supramolecular Cross-Linked Co-Assembled Silk Fibroin Films for Passive Radiative Cooling” in Advanced Functional Materials.   ABSTRACT Silk fibroin (SF) is a natural biomaterial from silk, which has outstanding biocompatibility. However, regeneration SF materials usually suffer from brittleness, which restricts their applications. Here, a novel supramolecular co-assembly strategy is reported for the preparation of a Bolas-shaped polyethylene glycol peptide (BPP)/SF film, where the peptide and SF form a robust payload co-assembled network and polyethylene glycol (PEG) fragments form supramolecular cross-linking in this network. The obtained BPP/SF film shows both high stress (27.8 MPa), high toughness (3.64 MJ m−3), high transparency (89%), and high mid-infrared (MIR) emissivity (90.5%). In passive radiative cooling, the BPP/SF film results in a 2.7 °C reduction in the temperature of the human arm skin and a 14.6 °C reduction in the temperature of the solar cell. More importantly, this novel BPP co-assembly SF material can be recycled and reused while maintaining its original mechanical strength. This work provides a novel strategy for fabricating regenerative SF materials with ultra-strong and ultra-tough mechanical performance.   Read the full article in Nature Communications. URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202406920

8 Aug, 2024

Research

IAC Meeting

PolyU Holds the Inaugural RCTFF International Advisory Committee Meeting and Symposium to Showcase Research Outcomes and Promote Academia-Enterprise Knowledge Exchange

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) successfully held the first International Advisory Committee (IAC) Meeting of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) and a Symposium on Interdisciplinary Research for Fashion and Textile on 12 July 2024.   Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU, welcomed IAC members and shared PolyU’s strategy in research and innovation. Prof. Jintu FAN, Chair Professor of Fiber Science and Apparel Engineering of the School of Fashion and Textiles and Director of RCTFF, reported the research themes and projects of the centre and invited advice on research strategy and partnership. Members praised the impressive start of RCTFF and echoed the importance of interdisciplinary research and academia-industry partnership.   The Symposium on Interdisciplinary Research for Fashion and Textile was held following the IAC meeting. Five core members of RCTFF presented their works. Prof. Xungai WANG, Associate Dean (Strategic Planning and Development) of the School of Fashion and Textiles (SFT) and Chair Professor of Fiber Science and Technology shared the denim recycling project; Dr Sylvia LIU, Associate Director of RCTFF and Assistant Dean (Academic Programmes) of the School of Design presented her work in fashion entrepreneurship and design management; Dr Dahua SHOU, Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies and Associate Professor of SFT introduced his research on personal moisture and thermal management; Dr Yancheng YUAN, Assistant Professor of the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence presented the model for sequential recommendation systems; and Dr Ping LI, Assistant Professor of the Department of Computing and School of Design introduced the latest work on simulation of visual art, fashion and design. The symposium highlighted how expertise from different fields can be integrated for innovations in fashion and textiles and sparked lively discussions among IAC members, faculty members and students.   The IAC of RCTFF comprises of prominent industrialists and academics in the field and chaired by Dr Harry LEE, Chairman of TAL Apparel. The members include Ms Shirley CHAN, Vice Chairman of YGM Trading Limited; Mr MA Jian-rong, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Shenzhou International Group Holdings Limited; Mr Andrew LO, CEO and Executive Director of Crystal International Group Limited; Mr Socrates NG, President of Hong Kong Nonwovens Association; Prof. Gregory C. Rutledge, Lammot du Pont Professor in Chemical Engineering of Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Prof. Emmanuel P. Giannelis, Walter R. Read Professor of Engineering of Cornell University; Prof. David Hinks, Dean of Wilson College of Textiles of North Carolina State University; and Prof. Jianyong YU, President of Donghua University and Member of Chinese Academy of Engineering.   Established in October 2023, RCTFF is a constituent unit of PolyU Academy of Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), aimed at synergising interdisciplinary R&D strength in materials science, design, digital technologies and management concepts to address real world challenge of textiles and fashion for health, wellbeing, functional protection, performance and sustainability. Its core members consist of researchers across data science, design, health, management and engineering in addition to fashion and textiles.

23 Jul, 2024

Research

in-situ

Double-side Super-hydrophilic/ Superspreading Fabric for Ultrafast Asymmetric Sweat Transport and in-situ Power Generation

Prof. Jintu Fan, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), Dr Hanchao Zhang and Dr Zhanxiao Kang, Members of RCTFF, collaborated with other researchers and published an article entitled “Double-side Super-hydrophilic/ Superspreading Fabric for Ultrafast Asymmetric Sweat Transport and in-situ Power Generation” in Nano Energy.   ABSTRACT Asymmetric (viz. Janus or one-way transport) fabrics that can promote directional sweat transport from the next-to-the-skin surface to the outer surface by the hydrophobic-hydrophilic difference across the fabric thickness have been developed. However, the hydrophobic next-to-the-skin surface inevitably increases the inherent resistance to sweat transportation into the fabric, fundamentally hampering its moisture management property. In this work, by selectively coating a poly-pyrrole (ppy) film with Turing patterns on one side of the fabric to achieve superspreading property, we demonstrated an all-hydrophilic asymmetric fabric with outstanding one-way liquid sweat transport property. Benefiting from the low resistance of sweat absorption, the all-hydrophilic fabric exhibited a dramatically increased directional sweat transport rate of 13.6 mm/s, which is 5.9 times that of the untreated fabric, and significantly enhanced sweat evaporation rate (1.56 times of the untreated fabric) and cooling performance. Furthermore, the conductive ppy-fabric, during the process of ultra-fast sweat transport, generated a potential of 150 mV over an area of 2×2 cm2 or scalable electrical energy output of 2.5 mW/m2 under continuous sweat transportation. The finding in this work not only provided new insight into the design and development of asymmetric fabric for ultrafast sweat transport but also proposed a novel method for the in-situ energy harvesting during the sweat transportation process, which has potential applications in self-powered smart wearables and functional clothing.   Read the full article in Nano Energy. URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2024.109919

22 Jul, 2024

Research

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PolyU Researchers Develop Intelligent Activewear for a Dry and Comfortable Experience

The Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games are just around the corner and a global sports frenzy is underway. However, intense summer workouts often lead to sportswear absorbing excessive sweat, becoming clingy and cumbersome, causing discomfort and potentially impacting performance. A research team from the School of Fashion and Textiles at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed the iActive™ sportswear range which features a root-like liquid transport system and a skin-like active perspiration dissipater and utilises nature-inspired, anti-heat textile fabrics to expedite sweat removal, effectively reducing the weight and stickiness of activewear caused by sweat accumulation during exercise.   The human body has millions of sweat glands that are vital for regulating body temperature by dissipating sweat for evaporation to cool the skin’s surface. With unabating greenhouse gas emissions, the number of very hot days annually is expected to increase significantly. This will lead to elevated energy consumption and increased sweating during physical activity and outdoor labour. Even when wearing highly breathable clothes with good sweat-wicking properties, individuals may still experience discomfort due to excessive sweat accumulation.   A research team led by Dr SHOU Dahua, Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies, Associate Professor of the School of Fashion and Textiles, and Member of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion at PolyU, has invented the groundbreaking iActive™, intelligent, electrically activated sportswear with a nature-inspired active perspiration function. This pioneering innovation has garnered significant recognition, including a Gold Medal at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva this April.   Its nature-inspired technologies, including low-voltage-driven artificial “sweat glands” created by skin-like anti-heat textile fabrics and a root-like branching liquid transport system that aligns with the body’s sweat map, can actively and programmably transport sweat to a perspiration dissipater at the lower region of the sportswear, and quickly remove it as liquid droplets. The all-textile sweat dissipater is compact and operates at a safe output voltage of approximately 5-9V, and its battery is easy to detach from the clothing, making it convenient for users to repeatedly wash the clothing by hand or in a washing machine to maintain hygiene. When the human body’s sweat rate is low, iActive™ can still be used independently without the battery.   Based on the optimised wettability pattern and gradient, the research team utilises a skin-like textile fabric to transport sweat one-way quickly and dissipate it directionally from the inside to the outside. This feature reduces the stickiness and weight of clothing, improves breathability and ensures the garments remain dry and comfortable to wear. Experimental findings indicate that iActive™ creates a breathable and dry skin microclimate by dissipating sweat at a rate that is three times faster than the maximum human sweating rate. This innovation can also prevent discomfort from coldness and moisture after a workout. In comparison to traditional fabrics, the textile materials in iActive™ are 60% lighter and 50% less clingy when soaked, providing the wearer with all-round comfort and enabling sports enthusiasts and athletes to perform at their best.   Furthermore, a mobile app further aids personalised sweat management by wirelessly adjusting the sweat level of iActive™. This innovation is versatile and can be seamlessly integrated into a variety of textile materials to facilitate sustainable mass production. Beyond sportswear, iActive™ is also   well-suited to protective clothing and workwear for individuals engaged in prolonged, high-intensity physical labour and outdoor occupations, including healthcare professionals, construction workers, firefighters, law enforcement officers and others, thereby significantly enhancing their work performance.   Dr Shou Dahua stated, “The extreme weather and high temperatures resulting from global warming have elevated the importance of heatstroke prevention and cooling measures on a global scale. Drawing on the vivid phenomena of thermal insulation and directed liquid flow in nature, we aim to foster innovation and sustainable advancement in garment manufacturing by inventing intelligent clothing and materials to address global challenges. We seek to harness the power of technology to infuse fresh perspectives into the traditional clothing industry, thereby enhancing its competitiveness.”   His research team has also developed a premium fabric named Omni-Cool-Dry™, drawing inspiration from volcano dwelling beetles. This fabric not only provides ultra-fast sweat dissipation and ensures all-day comfort with its dry and breathable features under dynamic thermal conditions, but also reflects solar radiation and emits body heat into the cold universe, enabling passive cooling. The team is working hard to leverage the benefits of both inventions to further enhance the sweat-dissipating and cooling capability of iActive™ sportswear.   Dr Shou Dahua, a core member of the PolyU Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems and the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion, has recently been bestowed with the 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award by The Fiber Society for his outstanding contributions to the fields of personal thermal and moisture management, intelligent wearables and soft robotics. The accolade is presented annually to an individual researcher worldwide. He has also received international innovation awards, including consecutive TechConnect Global Innovation Awards in 2021 and 2022. Moreover, his research papers have been published in various internationally renowned academic journals including Science Advances, PNAS, Advanced Functional Materials, and Advanced Energy Materials. Dr Shou will be chairing The Fiber Society Spring 2025 Conference at PolyU.

16 Jul, 2024

Research

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