journal article·2026-05

Textile‐Grade Mechanoluminescent Fibers by Continuous Wet Spinning

Xiaohong Liao, Ying Feng, Luyao Zheng, Liu Liu, Zihui Liang, Xiangzhe Li, Yun Deng, Huiyi Zong, Zhen Wang, Jinfeng Wang, Xiaofang Jiang, Xiaotian Li, Sixing Xiong, Huimin Wu, Changhai Yi, Kai Wang, Jin Qian

Advanced Functional Materials· Volume 36· Issue 41
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Abstract

ABSTRACT Mechanoluminescent (ML) fibers that transduce mechanical stimuli into visible light without external power or circuitry offer a bottom‐up route toward intelligent textile systems. Despite diverse fabrication strategies, most reported ML fibers exhibit insufficient mechanical robustness and scalability, hindering their transition to textile‐grade implementation. Here, we report the first continuous wet‐spun manufacturing process for ML fibers. The composite fibers, consisting of ZnS:Mn particles homogeneously embedded within a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) matrix, achieve high structural and optical quality owing to improved particle dispersion via ball milling, emission tuning through Mn 2+ stoichiometry control, and synergistic optimization enabled by coordinated geometric and compositional design. The resulting fibers reach lengths up to 50 m, exhibit a tensile strength of ∼24 MPa with elongation exceeding 560%, and generate rapid luminescence (<0.3 s). They maintain stable output over hundreds of deformation‐recovery cycles, withstand repeated washing, and deliver reproducible impact emission in close agreement with finite‐element modeling, demonstrating great reliability and well‐understood stress‐light coupling mechanism. These attributes enable a successful transition into functional fabrics, enabling real‐time visualization of joint motion and external impacts through biomotion‐activated optical sensing. This work establishes a scalable and versatile route for ML textiles, opening new possibilities in wearable monitoring, rehabilitation, and safety protection.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials · Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials · Luminescence Properties of Advanced Materials

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

National Local Joint Laboratory for Advanced Textile Processing and Clean Production Analytical and Testing Center Wuhan Textile University Wuhan China

Huanjiang Laboratory School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Zhejiang University Zhuji China

School of Chemistry and Material Engineering Huizhou University Huizhou Guangdong China

Optoelectronic Materials and Devices Laboratory Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Ningbo Zhejiang China

Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Structure and Fundamental Interactions of Matter School of Physics South China Normal University Guangzhou China

Changsha Semiconductor Technology and Application Innovation Research Institute College of Semiconductors (College of Integrated Circuits) Hunan University Changsha China

Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province · National Natural Science Foundation of China

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