Dope-Dyed Electrospun PA6/DMSO-PEDOT:PSS All-Polymer Multilayer Composite Film for Synchronous Visual/Infrared Stealth

Abstract

In the field of personal thermal management, achieving both visible-light camouflage diversity and low infrared emissivity remains a significant challenge. Conventional polymer/metal heterostructures often suffer from high rigidity and insufficient interfacial adhesion, which restricts their applicability in flexible wearable devices. To address these limitations, we have developed a hierarchical polymer flexible composite film. Its structure features a top layer of dyed electrospun polyamide-6 (PA6) nanofibers for visible camouflage, a middle layer of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as a low-infrared-emissivity core, and a bottom layer of dopamine-modified nanoporous polyethylene (nanoPE) as a multifunctional substrate. Experimental results demonstrate that this composite achieves full-spectrum color tunability across the visible range and reduces the apparent infrared contrast of covered regions in the 3–5 and 8–14 μm atmospheric windows. Furthermore, by leveraging the intrinsic mid-infrared absorption properties of PA6, the system enables selective radiative cooling in the visible and infrared bands, achieving a temperature reduction of 3.4–5.4 °C and mitigating heat accumulation commonly observed in traditional stealth materials. In summary, this integrated polymer composite material, combining multiband camouflage, radiative heat dissipation, and mechanical flexibility, provides an approach to address the optical constraints of PEDOT:PSS-based devices.