Directional sweat transport of monolayered cotton-fabrics fabricated through femtosecond-laser induced hydrophilization for personal moisture and thermal management

[Display omitted] Personal moisture and thermal management fabrics that can facilitate sweat removal and regulating skin temperature are highly desired for improving human comfort and performance. Here, we demonstrate a hydrophobic/superhydrophilic Janus cotton-fabric through femtosecond-laser-induced hydrophilization. The engineering Janus cotton-fabric can unidirectionally transport human sweat spontaneously. More importantly, the Janus fabrics can maintain human body temperature 2–3 °C lower than the conventional cotton fabrics, implying the cooling effect in thermal environment. In addition, the Janus fabric has lower wet skin adhesion in comparison with a conventional hydrophilic cotton fabric. The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of a Janus fabric is comparable to the traditional hydrophilic cotton fabrics. Overall, the successful creation of the Janus fabrics provides new insights for the development of moisture-wicking/thermal-management fabrics for satisfying the growing demand of personal comfort.