Abstract: With the advances in science and technology and the improvement of people’s living standards,there is a growing awareness of the importance of the function, comfort, and health of clothing fabrics. Knitted fabrics possess the advantages of breathability, softness and good elasticity due to their structural characteristics, and have great potential for use in functional fabrics designed for thermal and moisture management. The current research status of heat and moisture transfer mechanism of knitted fabrics is introduced. The basic designing principles, key fabrication technologies, and related performances of various knitted fabrics, i.e., directional moisture transport, contact coolness, radiative thermoregulation, moisture absorption and warmth, phase change, and structure-responsive knitted fabrics, are systematically elaborated in the review. Comprehensive analysis of the above, it is proposed that the future of functional knitted fabrics for thermal and moisture management will be toward the development of intelligent and composite. It is advised that researchers should explore the possibility of new raw materials and structures in the application of fabrics, to achieve the innovative combination of the coil structure and functions.

Key words: knitted fabrics; thermal and moisture management; comfort; functional textiles