Advanced Multimaterial Electronic and Optoelectronic Fibers and Textiles

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Advanced Manufacturing
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Integrating electronic and optoelectronic functionalities into soft fibers is a key manufacturing challenge.
• Multifunctional fibers are crucial for smart textiles, wearable devices, surgical tools, and energy harvesting.
• The preform-to-fiber thermal drawing technique allows fabrication of complex micro- and nanoscale multimaterial fibers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically discuss recent scientific and technological breakthroughs in multimaterial fiber fabrication via thermal drawing.
• To highlight advances in understanding the underlying fluid dynamics, rheology, and material microstructure tailoring.
• To explore the impact of these advances on the research landscape and future opportunities.

Main Methods:

• Review and critical discussion of recent scientific and technological advancements.
• Analysis of fundamental principles governing the thermal drawing process, including fluid dynamics and rheology.
• Examination of material microstructure tailoring for enhanced fiber properties.

Main Results:

• Significant advancements have expanded the range of functionalities and performance of multimaterial fibers.
• Improved understanding of thermal drawing processes enables better control over fiber architecture and properties.
• Novel applications are emerging in diverse fields, driven by these technological breakthroughs.

Conclusions:

• Breakthroughs in thermal drawing have significantly advanced multimaterial fiber technology.
• Enhanced understanding of fundamental principles is key to unlocking new functionalities and applications.
• This rapidly growing platform offers substantial opportunities for innovation in various scientific and technological domains.