Dyeable PAN/CuS Nanofiber Membranes with Excellent Mechanical and Photothermal Conversion Properties via Electrospinning

Abstract

Wearable heaters based on photothermal fibers have gained considerable attention for personal thermal management in recent years. However, photothermal fabrics aiming at personal comfort and energy conversion performance still present severe challenges in their design, dyeability, mechanical properties, and practical application. Herein, polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/copper sulfide (CuS) nanofiber membranes with good photothermal and mechanical performance and dyeability were fabricated by electrospinning. The PAN/CuS-5 wt % nanofiber membranes not only exhibit excellent photothermal conversion performance (up to 88 °C within 15 s) and good heating cycle stability under one solar irradiation (1 kW m–2) but also high tensile strength (9.86 Mpa). In addition, the PAN/CuS membranes still retained good photothermal properties after the dyeing process. This work develops a robust strategy for constructing photothermal and dyeable fabric and has potential application in personal thermal management.