A Multifunctional Core–Shell Fiber with Antistatic, Photocatalytic Self-Cleaning, and UV Protection for Next-Generation Smart Textiles

Abstract The rapid advancement of smart home technologies has increased demand for multifunctional materials, especially for smart furniture applications. In this study, we developed a multifunctional polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber featuring a core–shell structure incorporating a porous hygroscopic structure. The fiber was fabricated by incorporating titanium dioxide @ antimony-doped tin oxide (TiO2@ATO) and sodium alginate (SA) as functional components. The resulting fiber targets three major challenges, including electrostatic discharge in indoor environments, requirements for textile self-cleaning, and increasing urban Ultraviolet (UV) exposure, and exhibits significantly enhanced antistatic performance, photocatalytic self-cleaning capability, and UV protection. The core–shell design, together with the incorporation of SA, enables the integration of multiple functions while maintaining mechanical integrity. At optimized shell-layer loadings of 40 wt % TiO2@ATO and 1 wt % SA, the fiber demonstrates excellent antistatic performance, with a volume resistivity of 2.08 × 104 Ω·cm, a photocatalytic rate constant of 0.00595 min–1, and a UPF value of 60.74. Furthermore, the fiber retains favorable dyeability, which broadens its applicability across a wide range of smart textiles. This work therefore provides an integrated multifunctional platform suitable for applications such as indoor curtains, automotive interiors, and outdoor sunshades.