Fully Printed, Large-Size Alternating Current Electroluminescent Device on Fabric for Wearable Textile Display

Wearable display has attracted more and more attention from academia and industry due to its potential applications in entertainment and fashion, human–computer interaction, intelligent clothing, and so on. However, the fabrication of wearable displays with large size and high mechanical durability, especially on fabric, remains challenging. In this study, we proposed a fully printed method to fabricate electroluminescent display on elastic fabric. By using a high dielectric permittivity elastomeric material as the dielectric matrix of the electroluminescent composite, as well as adding barium titanate nanoparticles into the composite, the device exhibited a bright emission with a relatively low voltage. The electroluminescent devices printed on fabric were durable and could withstand high temperature, humid environment, repeated washing, and various forms of external damage. Large size devices with uniform light emission have been successfully fabricated, and the possibility of continuous mass production of large size devices has been verified. The present work will contribute to the realistic commercial application of textile-based wearable displays in the future.