Engineering transport properties of fibrous materials

Fibrous materials have wide applications in many different fields including filtration, fuel cells, thermal insulation, tissue engineering, paper products and apparel. In most of these applications, it is essential to optimize the transport properties. In this paper, the principle mechanisms of different transport phenomena in fibrous media as well as their interactions are explained. The effects of various material parameters on the transport properties are discussed. Specific models for heat transfer through penguin feathers and water transport through branching tree network are presented. The theoretical understandings are applied to develop new fibrous materials for functional clothing. Furthermore, novel instruments developed in our group to characterize the transport properties of fibrous materials are presented.