Army Ant Nest Inspired Adaptive Textile for Smart Thermal Regulation and Healthcare Monitoring

A textile material that can dynamically adapt to different environments while serving as an immediate alert system for early detection of life-threatening factors in the surroundings, not only enhances the individual's health management but also contributes to a reduction in energy consumption for space cooling and/or heating. In nature, different species have their own adaptation system to ambient temperature. Inspired by the army ant nest, herein a thermal adaptive textile known as Army ant Nest Textile (ANT) for thermal management and health monitoring is reported. This textile can promptly respond to perspiration, rapidly absorb sweat, and then transform its architecture to facilitate heat dissipation. Simultaneously, the colorimetric sensing function of ANT allows it to emulate the “site migration” behavior of the army ant nest, which empowers individuals to expeditiously identify multiple health-related signals such as body temperature, UV radiation, and sweat pH values, and warn them to move to a secure environment, thereby effectively reducing the likelihood of physical harm. Together with its excellent scalability and biocompatibility, the ANT offers a promising direction for the development of next-generation smart e-textiles for personal thermal and healthcare management, while satisfying the growing demand for energy saving. © 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.