Microfluidic Wet-Spun Core-Shell Elastomer Fibers with Integrated Sensing and Actuation Capabilities

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Engineering
• Flexible Electronics

Background:

• Advancements in textile engineering and flexible electronics necessitate integrated functional fibers.
• Simultaneously integrating multiple functions within a single fiber system presents a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and prepare a core-shell elastomer fiber capable of simultaneous sensing and actuation.
• To demonstrate the multi-functionality and control capabilities of the developed fiber system.

Main Methods:

• Microfluidic wet spinning was employed to create a core-shell fiber with a conductive liquid metal (LM) core and an actuating liquid crystal (LC) shell.
• The fiber's resistive sensing capabilities were characterized by its strain-dependent resistance changes.
• The fiber's electrothermal actuation was assessed based on the nematic-isotropic phase transition of LC mesogens.

Main Results:

• The conductive core exhibited stable strain-dependent resistive sensing with an 80% resistance change at 150% strain.
• The actuating shell demonstrated efficient electrothermal actuation, achieving 30% strain at 1.2 V.
• The integrated LM-LCE fibers showed good reproducibility, repeatability, tunability, and controllability.

Conclusions:

• The developed core-shell fiber successfully integrates multi-functionality for smart sensing and actuation.
• A closed-loop control system was established using the fiber's sensing and actuation for length regulation under varying loads.
• This structure-function design is promising for advanced multi-functional fibers and diverse applications in smart systems.