Environmentally responsive bi-component meta fiber textiles and methods of manufacture

Abstract

A bimorph meta fiber is formed through spinning of two antagonistic polymer melts, one of which contains pre-compounded optical nanostructures, into an eccentric sheath-core configuration or a side-by-side key-lock configuration. The bimorph meta fiber is capable of an adaptive regulation of the infrared radiation responsive to humidity level deviation from a comfort zone or perspiration level of the wearer of the garment fabricated from the meta fibers. The bimorph meta fibers are humidity/heat trained to attain dynamical environmentally responsive behavior to maintain the humidity/thermal comfort zone at various the humidity level fluctuations.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A textile composed of meta fibers, comprising:
 a plurality of meta fibers arranged into a yarn, each of said meta fibers including:   a hydrophobic component of a first spinnable polymer material,   a hydrophilic component of a second spinnable polymer material, and   a plurality of optical nanostructures embedded in said hydrophobic component;   wherein, responsive to fluctuations in a relative humidity level, each said meta fiber changes a configuration thereof, resulting in modulation of a fiber-to-fiber spacing within the yarn, thus changing an electromagnetic coupling between the optical nanostructures embedded in said fibers, resulting in the infrared optical emission adjustment, followed by an active self-regulation of the air movement, and/or heat transport through the smart textile composed of said meta fibers.   
     
     
         2 . The textile of  claim 1 , wherein said hydrophobic component and the hydrophilic component are connected in a configuration selected from a group including an eccentric sheath-core configuration, and side-by-side configuration, wherein in said eccentric sheath-core configuration, said hydrophilic component constitutes a core, and said hydrophilic component constitutes a sheath surrounding said core. 
     
     
         3 . The textile of  claim 1  wherein said meta fibers assume a relative disposition with a decreased spacing between neighboring meta fibers when the moisture level applied to said meta fibers is higher than a predetermined relative humidity level, thereby increasing the infrared optical emission to enhance the heat transport through said smart textile,
 wherein, when the moisture level applied to said meta fibers is lower than the predetermined relative humidity level, said meta fibers assume a relative disposition with an increased spacing between neighboring meta fibers, thereby reducing the infrared optical emission to decrease the heat transport through the smart textile. 
 
     
     
         4 . The textile of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined range of the relative humidity level is 5% to 90%, or 10% to 80%, or 30% to 70%. 
     
     
         5 . The textile of  claim 1 , wherein, responsive to the modulations of the spacing between the neighboring meta fibers, the yarn configuration reversibly changes through contracting or expanding of said yarn in response to said fluctuations of the relative humidity level, exposure to perspiration, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The textile of  claim 1 , wherein the diameter of said meta fiber ranges from 0.1 μm to 50 μm, or from 5 μm to 30 μm, or from 8 μm to 20 μm. 
     
     
         7 . The textile of  claim 2 , wherein the weight proportion of said core ranges from 20% to 60% relative said sheath, or from 25% to 40% relative said sheath. 
     
     
         8 . The textile of  claim 2 , wherein the hydrophilic component is a polymeric material selected from a group consisting of: Nylons, Nylon 66, Nylon 6 (PA6), polyurethane, and combinations thereof 
     
     
         9 . The textile of  claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic component is a polymeric material selected from a group consisting of: Polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and combinations thereof 
     
     
         10 . The textile of  claim 1 , wherein said optical nanostructures comprise a nanomaterial selected from a group consisting of: single-walled carbon nanotubes, double-walled carbon nanotubes, few-walled carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, carbon nanohorns, carbon fibers, graphene, graphene oxides, carbon black, silver nanowires, copper nanowires, silicon nanowires, gold nanowires, gold nanoparticles, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The textile of  claim 1 , wherein the optical nanostructures are pre-doped in said polymer material of said hydrophobic component by compounding. 
     
     
         12 . The textile of  claim 1 , wherein the weight of said optical nanostructures fall in the range selected from a group consisting of: 0.0025-0.03%, 0.005-0.05%, and 0.01-0.5% of the weight of said hydrophobic component in said meta fiber. 
     
     
         13 . The textile of  claim 2 , wherein the weight of said optical nanostructures fall in the range of 10-1000 ppm relative to said core in said meta fiber. 
     
     
         14 . The textile of  claim 2 , wherein said meta fiber comprises polyethylene (PE) and carbon nanotubes in the core and Nylon 6 (PA6) in the sheath. 
     
     
         15 . The textile of  claim 2 , wherein said meta fiber comprises polyethylene (PE) and graphene oxides in the core and Nylon 6 (PA6) in the sheath. 
     
     
         16 . The textile of  claim 2 , wherein said meta fiber comprises Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and carbon nanotubes in the core and Nylon 6 (PA6) in the sheath. 
     
     
         17 . A method of manufacturing a yarn from meta fibers with humidity responsive behavior and self-regulated infrared emissivity, comprising:
 (a) compounding optical nanostructures into a hydrophobic polymer, thus forming a hydrophobic component of the meta fiber;   (b) forming the meta fiber by melt spinning said hydrophobic component containing said pre-doped optical nanostructures with a hydrophilic component through a bi-morph spinneret to form a fiber configuration selected from a group consisting of: an eccentric sheath-core configuration, and a side-by-side configuration;   (c) arranging a plurality of said meta fibers in the yarn capable of a correlation of a spatial displacement between neighboring meta fibers in said yarn; and   (d) heat setting the yarn to establish the “open” and “close” states of said meta fibers in a dry/cold and wet/hot conditions, respectively.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein in said step (b), said eccentric sheath-core configuration includes a sheath formed with said hydrophilic component, and a core formed with the hydrophobic component and the optical nanostructure, said sheath being disposed in a surrounding relationship with said core. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein in said step (c), the spatial correlation between the neighboring meta fibers is through twisting, curling, self-crimping, texturizing, hot water treatment, water vapor heating, air blowing, and combinations thereof 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the step of:
 in said step (d), establishing the “close” state of said meta fiber by heat setting said meta fiber in a dry condition with the relative humidity level lower than 20%, and with heat setting temperature ranging between 80° C. and 200° C.   
     
     
         21 . A method of manufacturing a meta fiber with humidity responsive behavior and self-regulated infrared emissivity, comprising:
 (a) compounding optical nanostructures into a hydrophobic polymer, thus forming a hydrophobic compound; and   (b) fabricating a meta fiber by melt spinning said hydrophobic component with a hydrophilic component containing a hydrophilic polymer through a bi-morph spinneret, thus configuring the meta fiber in a spinning configuration elected from a group consisting of: an eccentric sheath-core configuration, and a side-by-side configuration.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein in said step (b), said eccentric sheath-core configuration of the meta fiber includes a sheath formed from said hydrophilic component, and a core formed from said hydrophobic component embedded with said optical nanostructures.