Fibers made by transforming materials
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. 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. 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....