The continuous fabrication of mechanochromic fibers

Abstract

A new strategy is demonstrated to continuously prepare dyeing-free mechanochromic fibers by dip-coating hard core–soft shell microspheres onto commercially available polymer fibers. The microspheres assemble into a photonic crystal structure to display structural colors, and the colors of these fibers can be easily controlled by varying the diameters of core–shell microspheres. The polymer fibers exhibit high elasticity and stability to endure mechanical stretching. This method is efficient and applicable for a variety of fibers with different diameters and cross-sectional shapes and a broad spectrum of polymer and inorganic substrates. The mechanochromic fibers exhibit obvious color changes such as from red to green and from green to blue under stretching, and these chromatic transitions are rapid, reversible and repeatable. They are further woven into well-designed patterns and fabrics for potential application in smart wearable textiles.