Abstract: Aspects of triboelectric fibers and methods of manufacture of the fibers are described. In one example, a method of manufacture of a fiber for generating energy using the triboelectric effect includes forming a preform tube, heating the preform tube in a furnace, feeding a wire through the preform tube and the furnace during the heating, and pulling the wire through the furnace to form a fiber. The methods described herein can be relied upon to manufacture fibers long enough for industrial-scale textile manufacturing, including for use with industrial-scale looms. In one example, forming the preform tube can include providing a polypropylene tube and wrapping the polypropylene tube with a housing layer of amorphous film, such as acrylic film. The acrylic film can be relied upon to maintain the form and integrity of the polypropylene as the wire is pulled, and the acrylic film can be easily removed after the pulling.

Abstract: A fabrication process is disclosed for the production of flexible triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) fiber, which can comprise a copper core surrounded by a silicone cladding. The TENG fibers are fabricated using a coaxial micro-extrusion process that enables 2D and 3D constructs to be fabricated with the fibers via 3D printing on both stationary and moving substrates to form mechanosensors as membranes, meshes, and hollow 3D structures. The mechanosensors can be integrated into wearable items for human activity monitoring, or can be formed on organs for organ monitoring, e.g., monitoring of perfused organs. The mechanosensors can be integrated into facemasks and uses for silent speech recognition, such as words mouthed in the absence of sound production by the speaker. The mechanosensors are self-powered and have high stretchability.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a multifunctional ferromagnetic fiber robot (MFFR) are described. According to one embodiment, the MFFR includes a central core and a ferromagnetic layer around the central core. The central core can include a waveguide, an electrode, and a hollow channel in one example. The ferromagnetic layer can include magnetic microparticles distributed in a thermoplastic elastomer. The waveguide can include silica or polymer waveguides. The electrode can include high-melting-point or low-melting-point metal electrodes. The MFFR includes or exhibits magnetic actuation properties that are activated in response to an external magnetic field. The magnetic actuation properties are adjustable based on a cross-sectional geometry of the central core and a particle loading concentration of the magnetic microparticles.

Abstract: A fabrication process is disclosed for the production of flexible triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) fiber, which can comprise a copper core surrounded by a silicone cladding. The TENG fibers are fabricated using a coaxial micro-extrusion process that enables 2D and 3D constructs to be fabricated with the fibers via 3D printing on both stationary and moving substrates to form mechanosensors as membranes, meshes, and hollow 3D structures. The mechanosensors can be integrated into wearable items for human activity monitoring, or can be formed on organs for organ monitoring, e.g., monitoring of perfused organs. The mechanosensors can be integrated into facemasks and uses for silent speech recognition, such as words mouthed in the absence of sound production by the speaker. The mechanosensors are self-powered and have high stretchability.

Abstract: Flexible and scalable miniature capacitive and inductive strain sensors, as well as methods for fabricating such strain sensors are described herein. According to an example, a flexible capacitive strain sensor can include a stretchable center core and two parallel wires wound about the stretchable center core, forming a double helix structure. Each of the two parallel wires can be embodied as an insulated or an uninsulated copper wire and the stretchable center core can be embodied as a polyester elastic string. The two parallel wires can be wrapped around the stretchable center core in a gapless fashion and with a winding angle of less than 45 degrees with respect to the stretchable center core.

Abstract: In one aspect, the disclosure relates to multi-material fibers capable of distributedly measuring temperature and pressure in which the methods comprise a thermal drawing step, and the methods of fabricating the disclosed fibers. The fibers can be utilized in methods of temperature and pressure mapping or sensing comprising electrical reflectometry for interrogation. Further disclosed are devices comprising a disclosed fiber with the multi-point detection capability with simple one-end connection. Also disclosed are articles, e.g., smart clothing, wound dressing, robotic skin and other industrial products, comprising a disclosed fiber or a fabric comprising a disclosed fiber. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Abstract: Spatially expandable probes and scaffolds for spatially expandable probes are provided that allow for interfacing across distant regions of the brain. The scaffolds include a plurality of helical channels extending along a length of the scaffold. Each of the plurality of helical channels are configured to receive a flexible probe, slidable within the helical channel such that they can be extended from the first end in different directions to access the distant regions of the brain. The scaffolds can be used with various flexible probes. Multi-functional fiber probes are provided capable of being used within the scaffolds. The multi-functional fiber probes include one or more sites on an exterior surface of the elongated fiber along the length of the fiber probe to allow for the interfacing to occur along the length of the fiber probe. Methods of making and using the multi-functional fiber probes and scaffolds are also provided.

Abstract: A fabrication process is disclosed for the production of flexible triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) fiber, which can comprise a copper core surrounded by a silicone cladding. The TENG fibers are fabricated using a coaxial micro-extrusion process that enables 2D and 3D constructs to be fabricated with the fibers via 3D printing on both stationary and moving substrates to form mechanosensors as membranes, meshes, and hollow 3D structures. The mechanosensors can be integrated into wearable items for human activity monitoring, or can be formed on organs for organ monitoring, e.g., monitoring of perfused organs. The mechanosensors can be integrated into facemasks and uses for silent speech recognition, such as words mouthed in the absence of sound production by the speaker. The mechanosensors are self-powered and have high stretchability.

Abstract: A stretchable polymer fiber can be used to form stretchable polymer fiber-based strain sensors. The stretchable polymer fiber-based strain sensors have a much larger strain range than existing stretchable polymer fiber-based strain sensors, good biocompatibility, and similar Young’s modulus as the human body. Woven into fabrics, the strain sensors can map the strain distribution at different locations and in different directions. The stretchable polymer fiber-based strain sensors can be implemented as resistance-based strain sensors, optical waveguide-based strain sensors, and as a combination of optical waveguide-based and resistance-based strain sensors.

Abstract: Aspects of triboelectric fibers and methods of manufacture of the fibers are described. In one example, a method of manufacture of a fiber for generating energy using the triboelectric effect includes forming a preform tube, heating the preform tube in a furnace, feeding a wire through the preform tube and the furnace during the heating, and pulling the wire through the furnace to form a fiber. The methods described herein can be relied upon to manufacture fibers long enough for industrial-scale textile manufacturing, including for use with industrial-scale looms. In one example, forming the preform tube can include providing a polypropylene tube and wrapping the polypropylene tube with a housing layer of amorphous film, such as acrylic film. The acrylic film can be relied upon to maintain the form and integrity of the polypropylene as the wire is pulled, and the acrylic film can be easily removed after the pulling.

Abstract: In one aspect, the disclosure relates to multi-material fibers capable of distributedly measuring temperature and pressure in which the methods comprise a thermal drawing step, and the methods of fabricating the disclosed fibers. The fibers can be utilized in methods of temperature and pressure mapping or sensing comprising electrical reflectometry for interrogation. Further disclosed are devices comprising a disclosed fiber with the multi-point detection capability with simple one-end connection. Also disclosed are articles, e.g., smart clothing, wound dressing, robotic skin and other industrial products, comprising a disclosed fiber or a fabric comprising a disclosed fiber. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Abstract: Thermal drawing processes can be used to make multifunctional, high-resolution neural probes for neural recording and stimulation. An exemplary neural probe may include one or more conductive fibers or microelectrodes coated with two or more layers of insulating material, at least one of which is partially etched to expose a tip at the neural probe's distal end. The conductive fibers conduct electrical signals (e.g., neural spikes or electrical stimulation) between the tip and the neural probe's proximal end. Optional optical and fluidic waveguides may guide light and fluid, respectively, between the tip and the proximal end. A neural probe may be flexible enough for long-term (chronic) implantation in neural tissue (e.g., the brain) without excessive tissue damage, even during movement of the brain in the skull. The probe may be made from biocompatible materials, such as insulating and conductive polymers, that have negligible (insignificant) interaction with the surrounding tissue.

Abstract: A fiber is provided that has been thermally drawn from a fiber preform, having a longitudinal-axis length and including at least one core that has a longitudinal core axis parallel to the longitudinal axis and internally disposed to at least one outer fiber cladding material layer along the fiber length. The fiber is fed through a localized heating site having a heating site temperature, T, that is above a melting temperature of the fiber core, with a feed speed, ?f, that melts a portion of the fiber core at the heating site, causing molten droplets to pinch off of fiber core material, one droplet at a time, with a time period of molten droplet formation set by the fiber feed speed, ?f. The fiber is fed through the localized heating site to move the molten droplets out of the heating site and solidify the molten droplets into solid in-fiber particles.

Abstract: Thermal drawing processes can be used to make multifunctional, high-resolution neural probes for neural recording and stimulation. An exemplary neural probe may include one or more conductive fibers or microelectrodes coated with two or more layers of insulating material, at least one of which is partially etched to expose a tip at the neural probe's distal end. The conductive fibers conduct electrical signals (e.g., neural spikes or electrical stimulation) between the tip and the neural probe's proximal end. Optional optical and fluidic waveguides may guide light and fluid, respectively, between the tip and the proximal end. A neural probe may be flexible enough for long-term (chronic) implantation in neural tissue (e.g., the brain) without excessive tissue damage, even during movement of the brain in the skull. The probe may be made from biocompatible materials, such as insulating and conductive polymers, that have negligible (insignificant) interaction with the surrounding tissue.

Abstract: The nanoribbon structure includes a plurality of thin graphite ribbons having long and highly crystalline structure. A voltage is applied across the length of the thin graphite ribbons to cause current flow so as to increase crystallinity as well as establishing interplanar stacking order and well-defined graphene edges of the thin graphite ribbons.