Stretchable multi-luminescent fibers with AIEgens

Abstract

Luminescent fibers are increasingly in demand due to their promising applications in smart textiles for fashion design and their variety of functionalities. Herein, we report a highly stretchable, lightweight, multicolor light-emitting fiber, enabled by luminogens with aggregation-induced emission characteristics (AIEgens). A one-step extrusion and transient thermal curing method was developed for the scalable and continuous dry–wet spinning of luminescent polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fibers. The resulting fibers emit intense light (red, green and blue, respectively) under ultraviolet light excitation, even when the content of fluorophore is as low as 0.3 wt%. The fibers exhibited excellent mechanical properties, which allow them to be knitted or weaved into demonstrative functional fabrics for displays, aesthetic designs, and anti-counterfeiting. Compared with many reported light-emitting fibers that require electric power sources or complicated fabrication protocols but degraded flexibility, our approach to luminescent fibers/fabrics shows great potential for wearable smart textiles.