Research progress and analysis of key bottlenecks in humidity-responsive textiles

As a smart textile, humidity-responsive fabrics can automatically adjust their physical form and response characteristics, such as porosity and hygroscopicity, according to changes in environmental humidity, so as to significantly improve the wearing comfort of the human body. In recent years, the field has made significant progress in material innovation, structural design, and application expansion, but it still faces many challenges, such as insufficient sensitivity and accuracy in response performance, poor durability, difficulty in balancing comfort and functionality, and cost and sustainability issues. This paper systematically reviews the research progress of moisture-responsive fabrics, focusing on the implementation paths and effects of strategies including fiber material selection and modification, fabric structure innovation design, and finishing technology in different studies. By comparing and analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of existing schemes, this paper clarifies the core problems and development bottlenecks in this field, and looks forward to the possible future research directions, aiming to provide theoretical support for the industrialization of moisture-responsive fabrics.