Asymmetric phase change fabrics integrating active thermal regulation and antibacterial functionality

Wearable thermal management materials that can simultaneously regulate temperature and suppress bacterial growth remain challenging due to the difficulty of integrating active heating, thermal buffering, and antibacterial functionality within flexible fibrous systems. Here, we report an asymmetric phase change fabric that couples latent heat storage with light-to-thermal and electric-to-thermal conversion through organic-inorganic interfacial engineering. The fabric is constructed from paraffin wax@polyvinylidene fluoride core-shell fibers with a latent heat capacity of 108.8 J/g, which decreases to 50.1 J/g after combining with a polyaniline@silver interlayer and a MXene-based conductive coating. Owing to its asymmetric architecture, the composite exhibits direction-dependent optical absorption, enabling enhanced light-to-thermal conversion with temperatures reaching 83.4 °C within 30 s. The MXene network provides high electrical conductivity up to 2359 S/m, allowing stable Joule heating to 61.5 °C under low voltages of 1.5 V. Additionally, benefiting from combined thermal effects and antibacterial components, the fabric shows strong antibacterial activity, particularly under light irradiation. This work offers a promising strategy for multifunctional thermal management textiles.