All-Inorganic Textiles With Low Thermal Conductivity and Ultra-Low Emissivity for Harsh Environmental Thermal Management

Abstract

Thermal management textiles capable of simultaneously suppressing conductive and radiative heat transfer are highly desirable for applications ranging from personal thermal management to energy-efficient buildings and extreme environmental protection. However, achieving low thermal conductivity together with low infrared (IR) emissivity remains highly challenging due to the intrinsically conflicting material property requirements. Here, we report an all-inorganic core–shell fiber-based textile that integrates a thermally insulating SiO2 yarn core with a low-emissivity, helically wrapped Ag outer layer, enabling simultaneous suppression of heat conduction and IR radiative heat loss in a single structure. The Ag@SiO2 textile achieves an ultra-low IR emissivity of ∼0.05 and a low thermal conductivity of ∼0.06 W m–1 K–1. In addition, it exhibits high reflectance in the visible–near-infrared range, reducing solar heat gain, and delivers efficient electromagnetic interference shielding and low-voltage Joule heating. Benefiting from its all-inorganic composition and integrated structural design, the Ag@SiO2 composite fibers exhibit excellent thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability, showing great potential for use under harsh conditions. This work offers a scalable strategy for simultaneously regulating thermal conduction and radiative heat transfer, providing a promising route for designing multifunctional thermal management textiles, especially for extreme environments.