Surface design for radiation cooling of functional textiles to alleviate heat stress during industrial high-temperature operations

Maintaining thermal comfort is essential for safeguarding worker health, safety, and productivity, particularly in high-temperature industrial environments. Conventional cooling strategies, such as heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems, are energy-intensive and often insufficient for localized heat stress mitigation. In this context, this research explores advanced surface design strategies for radiation cooling functional textiles as an effective approach to personal thermal management. The research focuses on engineering textile surfaces to enhance mid-infrared emissivity for efficient body heat dissipation, while simultaneously minimizing external heat gain through high solar reflectance. Drawing on recent advancements in nano/micro-materials and energy engineering, the study explores key fabrication techniques, including base fabric, ceramic nanoparticle fabric, and silicon-based compounds fabric, to optimize radiative heat transfer. A quantitative experimental framework is employed to evaluate thermal performance under simulated industrial high-temperature conditions, assessing parameters such as heat flux reduction, skin temperature variation, and thermal comfort indices. Material and surface properties are characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for morphology analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) for emissivity evaluation, and UVVisNIR spectroscopy for solar reflectance assessment. The results demonstrate that surface-engineered textiles significantly improve passive cooling performance compared to conventional fabrics, effectively reducing heat stress without external energy input. Furthermore, the research highlights the critical role of surface morphology, spectral selectivity, and material composition in achieving enhanced cooling efficiency and durability in harsh environments.