A hydro-photonic fabric for subambient body cooling

Kaisong Huang; Hanyue Lan; Lung Chow; Wenjie Fang; Renjie Tan; Leqi Lei; Weifeng Wang; Xinshuo Liang; Ke Zhang; Juncheng Liu; Hanshui Zhang; Yifan Si; Jinlian Hu; Xinge Yu

doi:10.1016/j.nanoen.2026.112159

A hydro-photonic fabric for subambient body cooling

Kaisong Huang (Co-first Author)
, Hanyue Lan (Co-first Author)
, Lung Chow (Co-first Author)
, Wenjie Fang
, Renjie Tan
, Leqi Lei
, Weifeng Wang
, Xinshuo Liang
, Ke Zhang
, Juncheng Liu
, Hanshui Zhang
, Yifan Si^*
, Jinlian Hu^*
, Xinge Yu^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

Abstract

During perspiration, the hydro-photonic effect presents a fundamental trade-off: while it enhances mid-infrared (MIR) emission and enables evaporative cooling, it simultaneously compromises radiative cooling performance by reducing solar reflectance. To address this previously overlooked challenge, we developed a hydro-photonic fabric (HPF) that synergistically integrates wettability control with photonic structures to maximize both solar reflection and MIR emission in the wet state. The HPF employs a hierarchical architecture comprising hybrid multi-scale fibers and nanoparticles, combined with an engineered wetting gradient that directs sweat transport to the fabric's outer surface. This design strategy enables the fabric to fully exploit sweat as both a broadband MIR emitter and an evaporative coolant. Outdoor field tests and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the HPF achieves subambient body cooling of up to 7 °C. Moreover, spatiotemporal simulations of urban environmental conditions reveal that the HPF significantly mitigates heat stress risks compared to conventional summer clothing, thereby offering enhanced protection for individuals engaged in outdoor activities. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd.

Original language	English
Article number	112159
Number of pages	12
Journal	Nano Energy
Volume	156
Online published	26 Jun 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2026.112159
Publication status	Online published - 26 Jun 2026

Funding

This article is dedicated to the memory of Professor Hu Jinlian. The authors gratefully acknowledge the \uFB01nancial support from the Contract Research (\u201CDevelopment of Breathable Fabrics with Nano-Electrospun Membrane\u201D, CityU ref.: 9231419), and Startup Grant of CityU (\u201CLaboratory of Wearable Materials for Healthcare\u201D, Grant No. 9380116).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Research Keywords

Evaporative cooling
Fabric
Personal thermal management
Radiative cooling
Wettability

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10.1016/j.nanoen.2026.112159

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title = "A hydro-photonic fabric for subambient body cooling",

abstract = "During perspiration, the hydro-photonic effect presents a fundamental trade-off: while it enhances mid-infrared (MIR) emission and enables evaporative cooling, it simultaneously compromises radiative cooling performance by reducing solar reflectance. To address this previously overlooked challenge, we developed a hydro-photonic fabric (HPF) that synergistically integrates wettability control with photonic structures to maximize both solar reflection and MIR emission in the wet state. The HPF employs a hierarchical architecture comprising hybrid multi-scale fibers and nanoparticles, combined with an engineered wetting gradient that directs sweat transport to the fabric's outer surface. This design strategy enables the fabric to fully exploit sweat as both a broadband MIR emitter and an evaporative coolant. Outdoor field tests and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the HPF achieves subambient body cooling of up to 7 °C. Moreover, spatiotemporal simulations of urban environmental conditions reveal that the HPF significantly mitigates heat stress risks compared to conventional summer clothing, thereby offering enhanced protection for individuals engaged in outdoor activities. {\textcopyright} 2026 Elsevier Ltd.",

keywords = "Evaporative cooling, Fabric, Personal thermal management, Radiative cooling, Wettability",

author = "Kaisong Huang and Hanyue Lan and Lung Chow and Wenjie Fang and Renjie Tan and Leqi Lei and Weifeng Wang and Xinshuo Liang and Ke Zhang and Juncheng Liu and Hanshui Zhang and Yifan Si and Jinlian Hu and Xinge Yu",

year = "2026",

month = jun,

day = "26",

doi = "10.1016/j.nanoen.2026.112159",

language = "English",

volume = "156",

journal = "Nano Energy",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - A hydro-photonic fabric for subambient body cooling

AU - Huang, Kaisong

AU - Lan, Hanyue

AU - Chow, Lung

AU - Fang, Wenjie

AU - Tan, Renjie

AU - Lei, Leqi

AU - Wang, Weifeng

AU - Liang, Xinshuo

AU - Zhang, Ke

AU - Liu, Juncheng

AU - Zhang, Hanshui

AU - Si, Yifan

AU - Hu, Jinlian

AU - Yu, Xinge

PY - 2026/6/26

Y1 - 2026/6/26

N2 - During perspiration, the hydro-photonic effect presents a fundamental trade-off: while it enhances mid-infrared (MIR) emission and enables evaporative cooling, it simultaneously compromises radiative cooling performance by reducing solar reflectance. To address this previously overlooked challenge, we developed a hydro-photonic fabric (HPF) that synergistically integrates wettability control with photonic structures to maximize both solar reflection and MIR emission in the wet state. The HPF employs a hierarchical architecture comprising hybrid multi-scale fibers and nanoparticles, combined with an engineered wetting gradient that directs sweat transport to the fabric's outer surface. This design strategy enables the fabric to fully exploit sweat as both a broadband MIR emitter and an evaporative coolant. Outdoor field tests and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the HPF achieves subambient body cooling of up to 7 °C. Moreover, spatiotemporal simulations of urban environmental conditions reveal that the HPF significantly mitigates heat stress risks compared to conventional summer clothing, thereby offering enhanced protection for individuals engaged in outdoor activities. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd.

AB - During perspiration, the hydro-photonic effect presents a fundamental trade-off: while it enhances mid-infrared (MIR) emission and enables evaporative cooling, it simultaneously compromises radiative cooling performance by reducing solar reflectance. To address this previously overlooked challenge, we developed a hydro-photonic fabric (HPF) that synergistically integrates wettability control with photonic structures to maximize both solar reflection and MIR emission in the wet state. The HPF employs a hierarchical architecture comprising hybrid multi-scale fibers and nanoparticles, combined with an engineered wetting gradient that directs sweat transport to the fabric's outer surface. This design strategy enables the fabric to fully exploit sweat as both a broadband MIR emitter and an evaporative coolant. Outdoor field tests and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the HPF achieves subambient body cooling of up to 7 °C. Moreover, spatiotemporal simulations of urban environmental conditions reveal that the HPF significantly mitigates heat stress risks compared to conventional summer clothing, thereby offering enhanced protection for individuals engaged in outdoor activities. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd.

KW - Evaporative cooling

KW - Fabric

KW - Personal thermal management

KW - Radiative cooling

KW - Wettability

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U2 - 10.1016/j.nanoen.2026.112159

DO - 10.1016/j.nanoen.2026.112159

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

SN - 2211-2855

VL - 156

JO - Nano Energy

JF - Nano Energy

M1 - 112159

ER -

A hydro-photonic fabric for subambient body cooling

Abstract

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UN SDGs

Research Keywords

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