Recent Advances in the Design, Synthesis, and Wearable Applications of Luminescent Fibers and Textiles
Fluorescent fibers and textiles that integrate outstanding optical performance with excellent flexibility hold significant promise for wearable applications and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, the poor stability of post-organized phosphor-based fibers and the high-cost, high-precision technology of electroluminescent fibers hinder their widespread adoption. Perovskite materials and organic semiconductors, owing to their high-efficiency, tunable luminescent properties and solution processability, are deliberately employed to fabricate desired fluorescent fibers and textiles via a spinning chemistry strategy. Recent advances have successfully applied these fibers to sensors, information displays, optical communications, and health monitoring. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in fluorescent fibers and textiles, covering spinning techniques, emitter design, and wearable applications. We highlight key challenges and future research directions in the fine design and synthesis of fluorescent fibers and textiles, as well as their system integration for practical wearable applications. The review emphasizes the potential of spinning chemistry to enable scalable production of robust, high-performance luminescent fibers, addressing stability and cost barriers. We discuss the use of metal halide perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) with high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQY) and tunable emission, and organic semiconductor emitters with tailored molecular structures, as promising building blocks. The integration of these materials into fibers via spinning chemistry offers a facile, efficient, and controlled strategy, leading to ultra-stable CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) perovskite filaments with a PLQY of 24.5% and stretchability up to 2400%. The review concludes by outlining future research directions, including the development of lead-free perovskites and self-healing materials, to enhance stability and safety for commercial wearable technologies.