Selectively Micro-Patternable Fibers via In-Fiber Photolithography

Abstract

Multimaterial fibers engineered to integrate glasses, metals, semiconductors, and composites found applications in ubiquitous sensing, biomedicine, and robotics. The longitudinal symmetry typical of fibers, however, limits the density of functional interfaces with fiber-based devices. Here, thermal drawing and photolithography are combined to produce a scalable method for deterministically breaking axial symmetry within multimaterial fibers. Our approach harnesses a two-step polymerization in thiol–epoxy and thiol–ene photopolymer networks to create a photoresist compatible with high-throughput thermal drawing in atmospheric conditions. This, in turn, delivers meters of fiber that can be patterned along the length increasing the density of functional points. This approach may advance applications of fiber-based devices in distributed sensors, large area optoelectronic devices, and smart textiles.

Publication
ACS Central Science
Youngbin Lee
Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT w/ Yoel Fink
Andres Canales
Researcher at Advanced Silicon Group
Mehmet Kanik
Senior Scientist on Advanced Materials, Impossible Foods
Polina Anikeeva
Polina Anikeeva
Professor in Materials Science and Engineering
Professor in Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Associate Director, Research Laboratory of Electronics

My goal is to combine the current knowledge of biology and nanoelectronics to develop materials and devices for minimally invasive treatments for neurological and neuromuscular diseases.

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