Patterning method could pave the way for new fiber-based devices, smart textiles

Multimaterial fibers that integrate metal, glass and semiconductors could be useful for applications such as biomedicine, smart textiles and robotics. But because the fibers are composed of the same materials along their lengths, it is difficult to position functional elements, such as electrodes or sensors, at specific locations. Now, researchers have developed a method to pattern hundreds-of-meters-long multimaterial fibers with embedded functional elements.