No sweat in hi-tech jumper
IT is one of life’s everyday frustrations, putting on a jumper only to get too hot and have to take it off again.
But scientists may now have an answer — a selfcooling pullover.
Researchers have created a material that heats up when someone gets too cold.
But it also detects when a person is warm enough and releases heat to maintain the perfect temperature.
The clothing is made of regular wool but coated with a super-thin layer of conductive metal. Its creators say it is far better than existing breathable sportswear: it can alter the body’s temperature by 35 per cent, while existing clothing only manages 5 per cent.
Professor Min Ouyang, of the University of Maryland, said the wool was coated in “nanotubes,” which are a millionth as thin as a human hair. The fabric underneath detects if someone is getting slightly warm, as their skin becomes damp with sweat.
This causes the fabric fibres to pull closer together, creating strong electromagnetic coupling to enhance infra-red radiation that expels heat from the body.
But if someone starts feeling chilly again, the material will expand, with the metal pulling in warmth from the air outside.