By: Rina Torchinsky

Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a “smart fabric” designed to keep the body comfortable in hot and cold temperatures. If adopted, this technology could likely eliminate the need for air conditioning and heating.

The development of the textile comes after four years of research behind the doors of a modestly sized second-floor lab in the chemistry building. The team, led by chemistry professor YuHuang Wang and physics professor Ouyang Min, created a dynamic fabric that automatically adjusts to heat and humidity.

Zhiwei Peng, assistant research professor and member of the team, worked on creating the fibers that fill the fabric. The innovative yarn shrinks and swells when exposed to changes in heat.

“When it’s cold outside, it’s kind of like the textile will close the door,” Peng said.

Likewise, when the wearer is hot and sweaty, the fabric expands to allow more air.

The dynamic textile can be applied to athletic clothing and outerwear, but Peng envisions long term potential for energy efficient buildings. Instead of turning on the air conditioning to cool down an office, the smart fabric can automatically adjust to the individual’s body heat and sweat.

“Even though the [building temperature] is a little bit higher or lower than the normal settings, you can still feel comfortable in that, and in that way, you can reduce the use of the air conditions systems and eventually you can save more energy,” Peng said.

Sanjana Raiker, a freshman information systems major, has found herself in uncomfortably hot lecture halls. These conditions make her tired, impacting her performance in class.

“All of the people are just making it unbreathable,” Raiker said.

Uncomfortably hot conditions are not unique to lecture halls, though. Many dorms on campus lack air conditioning, including Hagerstown Hall, where freshman math major Samantha Engler lives.

“It’s like ninety plus degrees in the dorms and you can’t fix that with a fan,” Engler said.

Engler agreed that wearing a smart textile would benefit her in the dorm, but also envisioned pants made out of innovative fibers that would keep her legs comfortable during her workout and walk to Eppley Recreation Center.

Just as Engler envisions future applications for the smart fabric, Wang’s research team has begun to work on putting the fibers on the market. The team has corresponded with clothing companies, like Under Armour, as well as athletes, about taking the next steps.

“Our clothing system is the closest thing we can touch,” Peng said. “If we can really effectively control the heat between the human body and the environment, we can really have a revolution.”