Breathable sandwich laminates with dynamic infrared camouflage for all-weather scenarios

Infrared stealth technology played an important role in military, aerospace and other fields. However, it was currently a great challenge for all-weather infrared camouflage as well as infrared camouflage for military breathable clothing. In this paper, a three-layer structured polyimide film was prepared by laser etching and vacuum evaporation, which could be used for infrared camouflage in low and high temperature environments. The film had impressive waterproof and breathable properties. The main body of the film consisted of microporous polyimide (PIF). Forest-like vertical graphene arrays were constructed on the dense side of the PIF by adjusting the laser parameters. A layer of gold was then coated on the other side of the PIF to provide low emissivity properties. This three-layer structured composite film allowed the target to exhibit infrared radiation properties like the ambient background at both high and low temperatures. Waterproof and breathable properties could be applied to military infrared camouflage clothing fabrics. This work provided a promising solution strategy for the development of functional composite films in new military equipment. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd