Displays are basic building blocks of modern electronics 1,2. Integrating displays into textiles 17 offers exciting opportunities for smart electronic textiles-the ultimate form of wearables 18 poised to change the way we interact with electronic devices 3-6. Display textiles serve to bridge human-machine interactions 7-9 , offering for instance, a real-time communication tool for individuals with voice or speech disorders. Electronic textiles capable of communicating 10 , sensing 11,12 and supplying electricity 13,14 have been reported previously. However, textiles 22 with functional, large-area displays have not been achieved so far because obtaining small illuminating units that are both durable and easy to assemble over a wide area is challenging. Here, we report a 6 m (L) × 25 cm (W) display textile containing 5×10 5 electroluminescent (EL) units narrowly spaced to ~800 μm. Weaving conductive weft and luminescent warp fibres forms micron-scale EL units at the weft-warp contact points. Brightness between EL units deviates by < 6.3% and remains stable even when the textile is bent, stretched or pressed. We attribute this uniform and stable lighting to the smooth luminescent coating around the 2 warp fibres and homogenous electric field distribution at the contact points. Our display textile is flexible and breathable and withstands repeatable machine-washing, making them suitable for practical applications. We show an integrated textile system consisting of display, 32 keyboard and power supply can serve as a communication tool, which could potentially drive 33 the Internet of Things in various areas including healthcare. Our approach unifies the 34 fabrication and function of electronic devices with textiles, and we expect weaving fibre 35 materials to shape the next-generation electronics.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract