Hybrid carbon nanostructured fibers: stepping stone for intelligent textile-based electronics

The journey of smart textile-based wearable technologies first started with the attachment of sensors to fabrics, followed by embedding sensors in apparels. Presently, garments themselves can be transformed into sensors, which demonstrates the tremendous growth in the field of smart textiles. Wearable applications demand flexible materials that can withstand deformation for their practical use on par with conventional textiles. To address this, we explore the potential reasons for the enhanced performance of wearable devices realized from the fabrication of carbon nanostructured fibers with the use of graphene, carbon nanotubes and other two-dimensional materials. This review presents a brief introduction on the fabrication strategies to form carbon-based fibers and the relationship between their properties and characteristics of the resulting materials. The likely mechanisms of fiber-based electronic and storage devices, focusing mainly on transistors, nano-generators, solar cells, supercapacitors, batteries, sensors and therapeutic devices are also presented. Finally, the future perspectives of this research field of flexible and wearable electronics are discussed. The present study supplements novel ideas not only for beginners aiming to work in this booming area, but also for researchers actively engaged in the field of fiber-based electronics, dealing with advanced electronics and wide range of functionalities integrated into textile fibers.