Light-coloured solar-thermal textiles for personal thermal management enabled by bio-derived flavonoid-based photothermal polymer

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.180722

In this study, natural-derived photothermal polymer is synthesized for the first time from the plant-derived flavonol quercetin (Q). The resulting photothermal polymer is integrated onto a cotton-based textile as a coating, enabling the development of a solar-driven thermoregulatory textile for personal thermal management (PTM) applications. The systematic synthesis and characterization of the Q-based photothermal polymer (PQ) are presented in detail. Integrating PQ onto textile substrates enables the fabrication of a solar-active textile (PQ-TEX), whose solar-heating performance is evaluated under controlled conditions using a solar simulator. The outdoor solar-heating performance of PQ-TEX is further evaluated under real sunlight in both summer and winter conditions across different locations, including Ireland and Türkiye. The results demonstrate strong solar-to-thermal energy conversion, with the PQ-TEX surface temperature reaching 29.1 °C at an ambient temperature of 7.1 °C. Furthermore, the rapid drying behaviour of PQ-TEX (evaporation rate of 1.22 kg m−2 h−1 and a solar evaporation efficiency of 82.8%) is also tested and reported, together with comprehensive investigations into its durability under harsh environmental conditions, phytotoxicity, washability, and applicability to textiles of different colours. These results collectively highlight the robustness and multifunctionality of the developed photothermal textile platform.