Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• The thermal drawing process enables scalable, low-cost fabrication of flexible fiber sensors with complex functionalities from nanoscale to kilometer scale. • Thermally drawn fiber sensors cover a wide range of stimuli including temperature, acoustic, mechanical, chemical, biological, optoelectronic, and multifunctional sensing. • The review highlights material selection criteria and structural design principles for optimizing sensor performance. • Future developments focus on improving material stability, multifunctional integration, and practical applications in smart textiles and wearable devices.
Abstract
Flexible fiber sensors, with their excellent wearability and biocompatibility, are essential components of flexible electronics. However, traditional methods face challenges in fabricating low-cost, large-scale fiber sensors. In recent years, the thermal drawing process has rapidly advanced, offering a novel approach to flexible fiber sensors. Through the preform-to-fiber manufacturing technique, a variety of fiber sensors with complex functionalities spanning from the nanoscale to kilometer scale can be automated in a short time. Examples include temperature, acoustic, mechanical, chemical, biological, optoelectronic, and multifunctional sensors, which operate on diverse sensing principles such as resistance, capacitance, piezoelectricity, triboelectricity, photoelectricity, and thermoelectricity. This review outlines the principles of the thermal drawing process and provides a detailed overview of the latest advancements in various thermally drawn fiber sensors. Finally, the future developments of thermally drawn fiber sensors are discussed.
1. Introduction
In recent decades, flexible electronics have advanced rapidly. Due to their bendable and stretchable properties, flexible electronic products have been widely applied in biomedicine, intelligent robotics, environment, and health monitoring [1–10], profoundly transforming people’s lives. As a key component of flexible electronics, sensors act as a bridge connecting humans with the external environment. They can convert external stimuli into real-time electrical signals (such as capacitance and resistance) with high reliability and sensitivity. Their application demands are increasing significantly [11–14].
In the early research on flexible sensors, most sensing elements were fabricated by combining inorganic rigid materials (such as Si and Au) with flexible substrates [15–17]. However, these partially flexible sensors were difficult to apply to complex surfaces such as human skin and robots. As a result, fully flexible sensors based on flexible and stretchable materials like organic materials and metal nanowires have emerged rapidly [18, 19]. Depending on the fabrication method, flexible sensors can be classified into film and fiber-based sensors [20, 21]. Compared to film, fiber, as the smallest unit in the textile industry, offers better breathability and wearing comfort while maintaining excellent flexibility and biocompatibility, making it more advantageous for applications in smart textiles and wearable devices [22–24].
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ZhaoLun Zhang, Yuchang Xue, Pengyu Zhang, Xiao Yang, Xishun Wang, Chunyang Wang, Haisheng Chen, Xinghua Zheng, Xin Yin, Ting Zhang (2026). Thermally Drawn Flexible Fiber Sensors: Principles, Materials, Structures, and Applications. Nano-Micro Letters. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01840-y
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the thermal drawing process for fiber sensors?
The thermal drawing process is a preform-to-fiber manufacturing technique that enables the scalable production of flexible fiber sensors with complex functionalities, ranging from nanoscale to kilometer scale, in a short time.
What types of sensors can be fabricated using thermal drawing?
Thermally drawn fiber sensors include temperature, acoustic, mechanical, chemical, biological, optoelectronic, and multifunctional sensors, operating on principles such as resistance, capacitance, piezoelectricity, triboelectricity, photoelectricity, and thermoelectricity.
What are the advantages of fiber sensors over film sensors?
Fiber sensors offer better breathability, wearing comfort, flexibility, and biocompatibility compared to film sensors, making them more suitable for smart textiles and wearable devices.
What are the future development trends for thermally drawn fiber sensors?
Future developments focus on improving material stability, structural design, fabrication scalability, multifunctional integration, and overall performance for practical applications.
What are the main challenges in traditional fiber sensor fabrication?
Traditional methods such as spinning, microfluidic spinning, PVD, and CVD often involve multiple processing steps, prolonged fabrication times, complex processes, or harsh conditions like high temperature and vacuum.
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