Nanowire Clothing Traps Heat

Tech Briefs INSIDER

Heat-based images show a conventional cloth glove (top) lets warmth escape while a nanowire glove traps it.

Scientists have developed a novel nanowire coating that can both generate heat and trap the heat from our bodies better than regular clothing.

The researchers developed lightweight, breathable mesh materials that are flexible enough to coat normal clothes. When compared to regular clothing material, the special nanowire cloth trapped body heat far more effectively.

Because the coatings are made out of conductive materials, they can also be actively warmed with an electricity source to further crank up the heat. The research team calculated that their thermal textiles could save about 1,000 kilowatt hours per person every year.

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