Cross-section Engineering of Melt-spun Poly(lactic acid)/Cesium Tungsten Bronze Fibers: Balancing Photothermal Conversion and Thermal Insulation

Peng-Cheng Zheng; Jie-Rui Chen; Ji-Guang Dong; Yan-Ning Mao; Hao Huang; Jin-Chao Yu

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3805-4

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Cross-section Engineering of Melt-spun Poly(lactic acid)/Cesium Tungsten Bronze Fibers: Balancing Photothermal Conversion and Thermal Insulation

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-10-23

- Cross-section Engineering of Melt-spun Poly(lactic acid)/Cesium Tungsten Bronze Fibers: Balancing Photothermal Conversion and Thermal Insulation
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Pages: 1-11(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
- Author bio：
  
  jcyu@suda.edu.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3805-4
  CLC：
- Received：26 May 2026，
  
  Revised：2026-06-22，
  
  Accepted：05 July 2026，
  
  Online First：23 October 2026，
  
  Published：2026-08
- Accepted：
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Zheng, P. C.; Chen, J. R.; Dong, J. G.; Mao, Y. N.; Huang, H.; Yu, J. C. Cross-section engineering of melt-spun poly(lactic acid)/cesium tungsten bronze fibers: balancing photothermal conversion and thermal insulation. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3805-4

Peng-Cheng Zheng, Jie-Rui Chen, Ji-Guang Dong, et al. Cross-section Engineering of Melt-spun Poly(lactic acid)/Cesium Tungsten Bronze Fibers: Balancing Photothermal Conversion and Thermal Insulation[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-11.
Zheng, P. C.; Chen, J. R.; Dong, J. G.; Mao, Y. N.; Huang, H.; Yu, J. C. Cross-section engineering of melt-spun poly(lactic acid)/cesium tungsten bronze fibers: balancing photothermal conversion and thermal insulation. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3805-4 DOI：

Peng-Cheng Zheng, Jie-Rui Chen, Ji-Guang Dong, et al. Cross-section Engineering of Melt-spun Poly(lactic acid)/Cesium Tungsten Bronze Fibers: Balancing Photothermal Conversion and Thermal Insulation[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-11. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3805-4.

摘要

Abstract

Photothermal conversion fibers enable active solar-thermal management for personal insulation. However

solid circular architectures suffer from high thermal conductivity

excessive specular gloss

and limited bulkiness. We report melt-spun poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/cesium tungsten bronze (Cs

) composite fibers with systematically varied cross-sections: solid circular (F-circular)

circular hollow (F-hollow)

flat (F-flat)

I-shaped (F-dumbbell)

cross-shaped (F-cruciform)

and penta-channel-shaped (F-penta-channel). The cross-sectional curvature and air-cavity content balance the photothermal conversion and thermal resistance while

tuning the surface optical and capillary behavior. The F-circular fiber maximizes the near-infrared absorptance (0.72) and photothermal response (14.4 °C temperature rise under 600 W·m

−2

) because geometric isotropy minimizes interfacial scattering; conversely

it exhibits the lowest thermal insulation (Δ

=0.4 °C). Increasing the cross-sectional complexity progressively reduces light harvesting

as multi-ridge and flange structures amplify reflection losses at the fiber–air interface. At the same time

the F-cruciform fiber achieves the highest thermal insulation (Δ

=1.5 °C) through a four-fold symmetric air network that suppresses convective and conductive heat transfer. The shift from specular to diffuse reflection with increasing profile complexity reduces the dyeing depth (

increases from 58 to 72) but enhances the wicking capability (F-cruciform reaches 15.6 cm). Mechanical testing showed a positive correlation between circumferential symmetry and tensile strength; geometric discontinuities in the F-flat fiber reduced the tenacity to 3.01 cN·dtex

−1

but all profiled fibers remained processable for weaving and heat setting. Thus

cross-sectional geometry functions as a decisive structural parameter for balancing photothermal

thermal insulation

and comfort properties in bio-based fibers

establishing design guidelines for lightweight

fur-like sustainable thermal textiles.

关键词

Keywords

references

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