Electronic fibres have been considered one of the desired device platforms due to their dimensional compatibility with fabrics by weaving with yarns. However, a precise connecting process between each electronic fibre is essential to configure the desired electronic circuits or systems. Here, we present an integrated electronic fibre platform by fabricating electronic devices onto a one-dimensional microfibre substrate. Electronic components such as transistors, inverters, ring oscillators, and thermocouples are integrated together onto the outer surface of a fibre substrate with precise semiconductor and electrode patterns. Our results show that electronic components can be integrated on a single fibre with reliable operation. We evaluate the electronic properties of the chip on the fibre as a multifunctional electronic textile platform by testing their switching and data processing, as well as sensing or transducing units for detecting optical/thermal signals. The demonstration of the electronic fibre suggests significant proof of concepts for the realization of high performance with wearable electronic textile systems.
Fiber electronics is a key research area for realizing wearable microelectronic devices. Significant progress has been made in recent years in developing the geometry and composition of electronic fibers. In this review, we present that recent progress in the architecture and electrical properties of electronic fibers, including their fabrication methods. We intensively investigate the structural designs of fiber-shaped devices: coaxial, twisted, three-dimensional layer-by-layer, and woven structures. In addition, we introduce remarkable applications of fiber-shaped devices for energy harvesting/storage, sensing, and light-emitting devices. Electronic fibers offer high potential for use in next-generation electronics, such as electronic textiles and smart integrated textile systems, which require excellent deformability and high operational reliability.
Laser‐induced graphene (LIG) has drawn attention for energy storage devices owing to its fascinating material properties as well as for its use in the effective production of porous structures. However, the low packing density of LIG, which is caused by macroscopic voids owing to rapid degassing during the instantaneous photothermal process, limits the improvement of device performance. Herein, the fabrication of compacted LIG composite is introduced, wherein, the unused voids are filled with bamboo‐like carbon nanotubes (BCNTs). The BCNTs grown directly in the voids of LIG through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method using Cu seeds as catalysts improve the electrical conductivity, chemical activity, and mechanical flexibility, while enhancing the spatial efficiency of the porous structure. Consequently, the fabricated composite film (denoted as BCNT:LIG/Cu) delivers an energy density of 1.87 μWh cm−2, which is ≈10 times higher than that of the LIG‐based supercapacitor (0.19 μWh cm−2). Moreover, the BCNT:LIG/Cu film with a shape engineering pattern is assembled into a solid‐state supercapacitor using a gel electrolyte (PVA‐KOH), showing excellent electrochemical and mechanical stabilities under complex deformations. The proposed LIG‐based densification strategy opens up opportunities for the development of energy devices for portable power supply in practical applications.
The improvement of wearable electronics is making energy harvesters appealing, as they lessen the requirement for regular recharge of wearable gadgets. In this work, fully printed, flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) with excellent performance are created using a 3D printing technology. This fully-printing method is based on triethoxyvinylsilane (TEVS) coated barium titanate (BTO) nanoparticles, polyvinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE), and silver electrode for additive manufacturing. The organic vinyl silane (VS) functional groups, which form a strong bond between inorganic nanoparticles and polymer, contribute to the homogeneous dispersion of BTO nanoparticles in the matrix. Consquently, these fully printed VS-BTO/PVDF-TrFE PENGs outperform their untreated counterpart in terms of output voltage and power density, with a higher output voltage of 54 V even after 13 500 cycles and a higher power density of 28.5 μW cm −2 . In practice, as-printed devices may actively adapt to human movement and detect the pulse from multipoint mechanical activity identification. The fully printed PENGs developed in this work show excellent potential to be used in wearable electronics for a new generation of sensing applications.
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