Ellen Phiddian
Cosmos science journalist
Researchers have used perovskite quantum wires to make threads that can glow in any colour.
The fibre light-emitting diodes (Fi-LEDs) could be used to make wearable lighting and displays.
The team, based at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, has published their research in Science Advances.
The researchers made their Fi-LEDs by coating thin aluminium fibres with an alumina-based material called a porous alumina membrane.
They then filled the pores in this material with a precursor to a metal-halide perovskite, a type of crystal material with unusual optical and electronic properties.
After annealing, this gave the team perovskite quantum wires. These thin, bendable, stretchable and waterproof fibres could glow in one of 3 different colours: red (with a light wavelength of 625 nanometres), green (512 nanometres) and blue (490 nanometres).
They used the fibres to build a couple of different light pictures, including a scene of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour.
“Our innovative approach for fibre LEDs opens up new possibilities for fabricating unconventional 3D-structured lighting sources, paving the way for advanced wearable display technologies,” says lead researcher Professor Zhiyong Fan.
Next, the researchers are hoping to improve the stability and colour spectrum of the wires further, and investigate integrating them into textiles.
