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Scientists have known how to draw thin fibers from bulk materials for decades. But a new approach to that old method, developed by researchers at MIT, could lead to a whole new way of making high-quality fiber-based electronic devices. |
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The idea grew out of a long-term research effort to develop multifunctional fibers that incorporate different materials into a single long functional strand. Until now, those long strands could only be created by arranging the materials in a large block or cylinder called a preform, which is then heated and stretched to create a thin fiber that is drastically smaller in diameter, but retains the same composition. |
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Now, for the first time, fibers created through this method can have a composition that’s completely different from that of the starting materials — an advance that lead researcher Yoel Fink refers to as a kind of “alchemy,” turning inexpensive and abundant materials into high-value ones. The new findings are described in a paper in the journal Nature Communications ("Crystalline silicon core fibres from aluminium core preforms") co-authored by graduate student Chong Hou, and six others at MIT and in Singapore. |
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