Design and fabrication of elastic bilayer fabrics with dual functions: superior asymmetric liquid management and real-time wearable monitoring

Abstract

The combination of comfort and monitoring in safety protective equipment is crucial for long-term wear and standardizing movement behavior. However, wearable equipment is currently limited in terms of comfort due to its weak flexibility and insufficient liquid management capability. Herein, protective gear based on elastic fiber substrates and flexible sensors is used for real-time analysis of movement behavior and sweat transport in wearable fabrics. The elastic fabric consists of a melt blowing layer of polyolefin elastomer@secondary alkyl sulfate (POE@SAS) microfibers as the outer elastic layer and a combined viscose/polyester (CEL) layer as the inner skin-friendly layer, forming an asymmetric structure. To increase the stability and skin comfort of the two-layer fabric structure, we employed a needle-punching and hydroentangling process to reinforce the elastic fiber substrate, resulting in the final dual-layer CEL/POE@SAS elastic microfiber fabric. Conductive yarns and flexible sensors were embedded into the asymmetric structure of the fabric, enabling real-time monitoring of human motion behavior and liquid transport behavior in the fabric. Based on this, the fiber clusters formed by the needle-punching process provide the fabric with a fracture strength of up to 3.8 MPa, with a fracture elongation of 60%, while also offering a pathway for rapid interlayer liquid transport, achieving an asymmetric transport of liquid index as high as 861.32. Furthermore, the softness of the fabric, enhanced by the hydroentangling process, reached a score of 89.95, validating its suitability as a protective gear for sports applications.