Asymmetric PET Hybrid Membrane Derived from Waste PET Plastic for Personal Thermal Management Applications

Controllable fabrication of wearable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) hybrid membrane derived from waste plastic is essential from the viewpoint of waste utilization and personal thermal management. Herein, this work presents an effective and versatile strategy for the fabrication of the asymmetric hybrid membrane using waste PET plastic bottles as raw material for personal thermal management applications. The obtained ZnO/Ag@PET fibrous nanofibrous membrane (ZnO/Ag@PNM) shows the asymmetrical characteristics of infrared radiation for personal thermal management: the low IR-emissivity (similar to 0.39) layer (Ag layer) is facing outside to reduce the human thermal radiation, and high IR-emissivity (similar to 0.96) layer (ZnO layer) is facing outward to enhance the human thermal radiation. Notably, the excellent electrical conductivity of metal coating grants the superior Joule heating for extra warmth under a low supplied voltage (2 V). Moreover, the ZnO/Ag@PNM membrane exhibits excellent antibacterial activity, flexibility, and high breathability, which shows great potential and value for wearable material in the personal thermal management application. This work not only presents a promising approach to fabricating the wearable Janus composite membrane using waste PET plastic bottles as starting materials but also provides practical potentials for thermal management and waste utilization.