These photographs show light-emitting textiles displaying the 'smiling face' emoji, a rectangular spiral, and the number 8. Source: The Carmichael LabA team of researchers from the University of Windsor in Canada have developed a method for creating light-emitting fabric inspired by ultra-sheer pantyhose.

To develop light-emitting fabric that is washable, wearable, stretchable, lightweight and soft — a feat hindered by rigid and stiff diodes, wires and optical fibers woven into fabrics — the University of Windsor team turned its attention to sheer fabrics to form a transparent conductor.

Using a process called electroless nickel immersion gold metallization, which is a metal deposition process commonly used to produce printed circuit boards, the team coated a pair of ultra-sheer pantyhose with a 100 nm thick layer of gold film.

Once coated, the team determined that the process enabled the pantyhose to maintain its stretchy and semi-transparent composition and proceeded to make patterned light emitting fabrics in the shape of a smiley face emoji and a dynamic display containing seven boxes capable of rearranging to display numbers.

Despite its hefty price tag, researchers determined that gold was the best material for the application due to its chemical stability and its safe contact with human skin. Additionally, only a minute quantity of gold is necessary to inject textiles with the conductivity necessary to light up the material.

The University of Windsor team envisions that the material could one day pave the way for light-emitting textiles for safety gear for first responders and nighttime construction applications, athletic apparel and wearable display marketing.

The research appears in the journal Matter.