Thermal and Moisture Management Properties in Textile Materials
Summary
Thermal and moisture management in textiles encompasses the control of heat transfer and water vapour transport through fibre assemblies, fabric structures and multilayer systems. Key material properties such as thermal conductivity, thermal resistance and moisture vapour permeability dictate how garments respond to changing environmental and physiological conditions. Fibre type, yarn geometry and weave or knit architecture combine to regulate porosity, capillary action and air permeability, thereby affecting wearer comfort, hydration management and thermal protection. Advances in smart and adaptive textiles—incorporating phase-change materials, shape-memory alloys or soft actuators—offer dynamic modulation of insulation and moisture release, bridging the gap between static performance and real-time responsiveness. Instrumentation for quantifying wicking kinetics, water absorption and evaporative cooling has evolved to provide high-resolution data on both in-plane and trans-planar moisture movement. Collectively, these developments support the design of next-generation sportswear, protective clothing and medical fabrics that balance thermal insulation with breathability, reduce heat stress, and optimise energy use in both everyday and extreme environments.
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Thermal and Moisture Management Properties in Textile Materials publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in thermal and moisture management properties in textile materials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Thermal resistance: A measure of a material’s ability to impede heat flow, critical for insulation performance.
Moisture vapour transmission rate: The rate at which water vapour diffuses through a textile, indicating breathability.
Wicking: The capillary-driven transport of liquid moisture along fibre or yarn pathways.
Air permeability: The volume of air that can pass through a fabric under a defined pressure gradient, affecting ventilation.
References
- Soft Robotic Textiles for Adaptive Personal Thermal Management. Advanced Science (2024).
- Thermo-Physiological Comfort Properties of Sportswear with Different Combination of Inner and Outer Layers. Materials (2021).
- Effect of Weaving Structures on the Water Wicking–Evaporating Behavior of Woven Fabrics. Polymers (2020).
- Characterizing the transplanar and in-plane water transport of textiles with gravimetric and image analysis technique: Spontaneous Uptake Water Transport Tester. Scientific Reports (2015).
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