Lightweight, durable waterproof and breathable membranes with multifunctional properties that mimic nature have great potential for application in high-performance textiles, efficient filtering systems and flexible electronic devices. In this work, the fluoride-free triblock copolymer poly(styrene-b-butadiene-b-styrene) (SBS) fibrous membrane with excellent elastic performance was prepared using electrospinning. According to the bionics of lotus leaves, a coarse structure was built onto the surface of the SBS fiber using dip-coating of silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SiO₂ NPs). Polydopamine, an efficient interfacial adhesive, was introduced between the SBS fiber and SiO₂ NPs. The hydrophobicity of the modified nanofibrous membrane was highly improved, which exhibited a super-hydrophobic surface with a water contact angle large than 160°. The modified membrane retained super-hydrophobic properties after 50 stretching cycles under 100% strains. Compared with the SBS nanofibrous membrane, the hydrostatic pressure and WVT rate of the SBS/PDA/SiO₂ nanofibrous membrane improved simultaneously, which were 84.2 kPa and 6.4 kg·m⁻²·d⁻¹ with increases of 34.7% and 56.1%, respectively. In addition, the SBS/PDA/SiO₂ nanofibrous membrane showed outstanding self-cleaning and windproof characteristics. The high-performance fibrous membrane provides a new solution for personal protective equipment.

To address the thermal comfort needs of the human body, the development of personal thermal management textile is critical. Phase change materials (PCMs) have a wide range of applications in thermal management due to their large thermal storage capacity and their isothermal properties during phase change. However, their inherent low thermal conductivity and susceptibility to leakage severely limit their application range. In this study, polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used as the PCM and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as the polymer backbone, and the thermal conductivity was increased by adding spherical nano-alumina (Al₂O₃). Utilizing coaxial electrospinning technology, phase-change thermoregulated nanofiber membranes with a core-shell structure were created. The study demonstrates that the membranes perform best in terms of thermal responsiveness and thermoregulation when 5% Al₂O₃ is added. The prepared nanofiber membranes have a melting enthalpy of 60.05 J·g⁻¹ and retain a high enthalpy after 50 cycles of cold and heat, thus withstanding sudden changes in ambient temperature well. Additionally, the nanofiber membranes have excellent air permeability and high moisture permeability, which can increase wearer comfort. As a result, the constructed coaxial phase change thermoregulated nanofiber membranes can be used as a promising textile for personal thermal management.

Controllable feature and size, good mechanical stability and intelligent release behavior is the capsule products relentless pursuit of the goal. In addition, to illustrate the quantitative relationship of structure and performance is also important for encapsulation technology development. In this study, the sphericity and size of millimeter-scale calcium sodium alginate capsules (mm-CaSA-Caps) with aqueous core were well tuned by manipulating the viscosity, surface tension, and density of CaCl₂/carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC) drops and sodium alginate (SA) solution. The well-tuned mm-CaSA-Caps showed significant mechanical and control-releasing property effects. The results showed that the prepared mm-CaSA-Caps were highly monodispersed with average diameter from 3.8 to 4.8 mm. The viscosity of the SA solution and the viscosity and surface tension of the CaCl₂/CMC solution had significant effects on the mm-CaSA-Caps sphericity. Uniform and spherical mm-CaSA-Caps could be formed with high viscosity CaCl₂/CMC solution (between 168.5 and 917.5 mPa·s), low viscosity SA solution (between 16.2 and 72.0 mPa·s) and decreased surface tension SA solution (by adding 0.01 wt.% poloxamer 407). The diameter of the mm-CaSA-Caps could be predicted by a modified Tate’s law, which correlated well with the experimental data. The Caps with sphericity factor (SF) < 0.07 had better mechanical stability, with the crushing force 2.91–15.5 times and the surface Young’s modulus 2.1–3.99 times higher than those of the non-spherical Caps (SF > 0.07). Meanwhile, the spherical Caps had a more even permeation rate, which was helpful in producing uniform and sustained releasing applications in foodstuff, medicine, agriculture and chemical industry.

Conventional screen stencils are known for having micron scale screen mesh, which restricts definition of the printed pattern, and subsequently, the development of fine line screen printing technology. In contrast, electrospun fiber membranes are characterized by a consistent mesh size, which have the ability to reduce down to hundreds of nanometers. In this study, we produced a screen stencil by combining electrospun PVA/EG fiber membrane with a commercial printing screen stencil. The fiber diameter, porosity, hydrophilicity, and thickness of the PVA/EG fiber membrane were controlled by the ethylene glycol content, crosslinking time, and spinning time. The effects of membrane's morphology and structure on image definition of printed pattern were investigated. Results showed that the printed pattern depicted the higher definition when the electrospun fiber membrane had the higher porosity (83.67%), smaller fiber diameter (0.1859 μm) and uniform diameter distribution. With respect to hydrophilicity and thickness of membrane, both had stronger influence on the flux of printed paste, the better hydrophilicity and lower thickness membrane were, the darker color and higher definition images obtained.