Hybrid functional microfibers for textile electronics and biosensors

Fibers are low-cost substrates that are abundantly used in our daily lives. This review highlights recent advances in the fabrication and application of multifunctional fibers to achieve fibers with unique functions for specific applications ranging from textile electronics to biomedical applications. By incorporating various nanomaterials such as carbon nanomaterials, metallic nanomaterials, and hydrogel-based biomaterials, the functions of fibers can be precisely engineered. This review also highlights the performance of the functional fibers and electronic materials incorporated with textiles and demonstrates their practical application in pressure/tensile sensors, chemical/biosensors, and drug delivery. Textile technologies in which fibers containing biological factors and cells are formed and assembled into constructions with biomimetic properties have attracted substantial attention in the field of tissue engineering. We also discuss the current limitations of functional textile-based devices and their prospects for use in various future applications.