Functional Materials and Innovative Strategies for Wearable Thermal Management Applications

Yeongju Jung, Minwoo Kim, Taegyeom Kim, Jiyong Ahn, Jinwoo Lee, Seung Hwan Ko

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

Highlights: This article systematically reviews the thermal management wearables with a specific emphasis on materials and strategies to regulate the human body temperature.Thermal management wearables are subdivided into the active and passive thermal managing methods.The strength and weakness of each thermal regulatory wearables are discussed in details from the view point of practical usage in real-life. Abstract: Thermal management is essential in our body as it affects various bodily functions, ranging from thermal discomfort to serious organ failures, as an example of the worst-case scenario. There have been extensive studies about wearable materials and devices that augment thermoregulatory functionalities in our body, employing diverse materials and systematic approaches to attaining thermal homeostasis. This paper reviews the recent progress of functional materials and devices that contribute to thermoregulatory wearables, particularly emphasizing the strategic methodology to regulate body temperature. There exist several methods to promote personal thermal management in a wearable form. For instance, we can impede heat transfer using a thermally insulating material with extremely low thermal conductivity or directly cool and heat the skin surface. Thus, we classify many studies into two branches, passive and active thermal management modes, which are further subdivided into specific strategies. Apart from discussing the strategies and their mechanisms, we also identify the weaknesses of each strategy and scrutinize its potential direction that studies should follow to make substantial contributions to future thermal regulatory wearable industries.[MediaObject not available: see fulltext.].

Original languageEnglish
Article number160
JournalNano-Micro Letters
Volume15
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2023

Keywords

  • Active heat transfer
  • Passive heat transfer
  • Thermal management
  • Wearable device
  • Wearable materials

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