A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has created a fiber capable of emitting light, self-repairing when damaged and responding to magnetic fields.

The fiber, dubbed SHINE (Scalable Hydrogel-clad Ionotronic Nickel-core Electroluminescent fiber), is a flexible, durable and highly visible material that could potentially be used in the robotics, fashion and wearable technology fields.

Source: NUSSource: NUS

“Most digital information today is transmitted largely through light-emissive devices,” the team explained. “We are very interested in developing sustainable materials that can emit light and explore new form factors, such as fibres, that could extend application scenarios, for example, smart textiles. One way to engineer sustainable light-emitting devices is to make them self-healable, just like biological tissues such as skin.”

The team described the SHINE fibers as having a nickel core that serves as a magnetically responsive electrode, a light-emitting zinc sulfide layer and a transparent hydrogel cladding that also functions as a transparent electrode. This structure, the team noted, creates a fiber that is both functional and highly durable, maintaining its properties even after being stored in open air for nearly a year.

When damaged, the fiber can reportedly self-repair via a mild heating process and followed by reabsorbing moisture from the air under ambient conditions, which enables the material to recover nearly all of its original brightness.

With a reported brightness of 1068 cd/m², the team explained that the fibers could potentially be woven into smart textiles used in the manufacture of wearable technology and interactive displays.

Further, thanks to its nickel core, SHINE is also capable of magnetic actuation, which allows the fiber to be manipulated with external magnetic fields. The team added that the fiber’s magnetic properties could potentially enable new applications for human-robot interaction.

“This is an interesting property as it enables applications like light-emitting soft robotic fibres capable of manoeuvring tight spaces, performing complicated motions and signalling optically in real-time,” said Dr. Fu Xuemei, the first author of the research paper.

The paper, “Self-healing actuatable electroluminescent fibres,” appears in the journal Nature Communications.

For more on the self-healing fibers, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of NUS.

To contact the author of this article, email mdonlon@globalspec.com