BEIJING, CN / ACCESS Newswire / June 3, 2026 / Beijing-Recently, the leading materials science journal Advanced Functional Materials published a research paper titled "Superlight and Ultrathin Aerogel-Functionalized Textiles for Personal Thermal Management in Extremely Cold Environments," highlighting advancements in Y-Warm after aerogel modification and its enhanced performance as an apparel thermal insulation material. The paper is available at: https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.76316
In Section 2 of the study, aerogel-functionalized textile coatings (AFTC) are applied to a closed-cell flexible substrate insulation textile (Y-Warm). The resulting gradient pore structure, composed of micron-scale closed cells and nanoscale silica aerogel, effectively suppresses convective heat loss while reinforcing solid heat conduction, thereby achieving outstanding thermal insulation performance.
Section 2.2, "Microstructure and Thermal Insulation of AFTC," reports that Y-Warm exhibits an areal density of 42.4 g/m² and a thickness of 0.70 mm, reflecting its relatively low surface weight. In comparison, the addition of silica aerogel coatings significantly increases the areal density, while the thickness shows only moderate variation.
As discussed in the final paragraph on page 6, aerogel coatings were also applied to other fabrics-including denim and cotton-to evaluate their insulation and heat retention performance under both high and low temperature conditions. Neither denim nor cotton achieved performance comparable to AFTC. This study further demonstrates that since Y-Warm's successful development and mass production, its apparel thermal insulation performance can be further enhanced through aerogel modification. It also confirms that Y-Warm is not limited to its current form for reducing heat conduction in winter apparel and footwear, but can evolve into a new generation of high-value insulation materials across multiple industries through integration with advanced functional technologies.
Zhong Feipeng, CTO of Y-Warm Technologies Co., Ltd., stated:
"Y-Warm has pore walls that are 20-280 nm thick, with pore sizes ranging from 30-190 μm. This fully closed-cell structure delivers both excellent moisture permeability and fast-drying performance. As a result, winter apparel and footwear thermal insulation products no longer need to rely on bulky designs." From a market perspective, despite technological progress, winter protection has long relied on natural materials such as animal fur and down. While the industry and research institutions have made continuous efforts, most solutions still imitate the air-trapping principle of down. Due to limitations in artificial manufacturing, there remains a performance gap compared to natural down. Y-Warm represents a fundamental shift. It reduces heat transfer through physical insulation, while delivering better moisture permeability and faster drying than down. This enables a true upgrade in winter apparel thermal insulation and footwear technologies, bringing us closer to the ultimate goal: lightweight yet highly insulating products.
The exceptional performance of Y-Warm is no mystery. It is based on nanoporous materials, widely recognized in academia and industry as possessing the strongest insulation properties. However, since their discovery in 1931, their application has been limited by inherent brittleness. And attempts to overcome this by grinding them into powder result in structural damage and reduced performance, which limits their potential in apparel and footwear. The Y-Warm R&D team broke away from conventional research paradigms, transforming the nearly century-old gel technology into a chemically reconstructed structural system. After eight years of development, they successfully overcame the mechanical limitations of nanoporous materials and introduced a closed-cell structure with superior insulation performance compared to traditional open-cell aerogels, reaching the scientific optimum of porous materials. By integrating thermal insulation, moisture permeability, and fast-drying performance into a single material, Y-Warm represents a revolutionary innovation in winter apparel thermal insulation materials. Its core technology has been granted international invention patents.
Y-Warm Technologies Co., Ltd. is an innovative technology company specializing in the research, development, and industrialization of metamaterials.
The company's proprietary Y-Warm™ is a high-performance, "flexible" thermal insulation material. It is widely used for heat insulation and preservation in fields such as apparel, outdoor gear, automotive, and construction, pioneering a new era in the industrial application of insulation materials.
For more information about Y-Warm technology and its development journey, please visit: http://www.y-warm.com
Contact: Feipeng Zhong
Tel: +86 400-127-6188
Email: fp.zhong@y-warm.com
SOURCE: Y-Warm Technologies Co., Ltd.
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