Color-changing and color-tunable photonic bandgap fiber textiles

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optics
• Textile Engineering

Background:

• Traditional textiles lack dynamic color and light-emitting properties.
• Existing light-emitting fibers often require mechanical perturbations and are prone to fading.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the fabrication and application of plastic Photonic Band Gap (PBG) Bragg fibers in photonic textiles.
• To explore their use in interactive clothing, sensing fabrics, signage, and art.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of plastic PBG Bragg fibers with periodic layers of distinct plastics.
• Characterization of optical properties including color emission and light guiding.
• Demonstration of color-changing and sensing capabilities through mechanical manipulation.

Main Results:

• PBG Bragg fibers exhibit inherent color due to optical interference, without dyes, ensuring fade resistance.
• Fibers guide light via the photonic bandgap effect and emit light uniformly, superior to conventional fibers.
• Color emission is stable, defined by fiber geometry, and controllable via layer count and light intensity.

Conclusions:

• Plastic PBG Bragg fibers provide a mechanically robust, dye-free, and fade-resistant solution for photonic textiles.
• Their tunable optical properties enable passive color change and visually interactive, sensing textiles.
• These fibers present an economical approach for advanced textile applications.