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.

Stretchable electroluminescent (EL) devices are obtained by partitioning a large emission area into areas specifically for stretching and light‐emission (island–bridge structure). Buckled and textile structures are also shown effective to combine the conventional light emitting diode fabrication with elastic substrates for structure‐enabled stretchable EL devices. Meanwhile, intrinsically stretchable EL devices which are characterized with uniform stretchability down to microscopic scale are relatively less developed but promise simpler device structure and higher impact resistance. The challenges in fabricating intrinsically stretchable EL devices with high and robust performance are in many facets, including stretchable conductors, emissive materials, and compatible processes. For the stretchable transparent electrode, ionically conductive gel, conductive polymer coating, and conductor network in surface of elastomer are all proven useful. The stretchable EL materials are currently limited to conjugated polymers, conjugated polymers with surfactants and ionic conductors added to boost stretchability, and phosphor particles embedded in elastomer matrices. These emissive materials operate under different mechanisms, require different electrode materials and fabrication processes, and the corresponding EL devices face distinctive challenges. This review aims to provide a basic understanding of the materials meeting both the mechanical and electronic requirements and important techniques to fabricate the stretchable EL devices.

This paper investigates the use of elastomeric dielectric materials with compliant electrodes as a means of actuation. When a voltage is applied to the electrodes, the elastomeric films expand in area and compress in thickness. The strain response to applied electric fields was measured for a variety of elastomers. A nonlinear high-strain Mooney-Rivlin model was used to determine the expected strain response for a given applied field pressure. Using this model, we determined that the electrostatic forces between the free charges on the electrodes are responsible for the observed response. Silicone polymers have produced the best combination of high strain and energy density, with strains exceeding 30% and energy densities up to 0. 15 MJ/m3. Based on the electrostatic model, the electromechanical coupling efficiency is over 50%. This paper also reports recent progress in making highly compliant electrodes. We have shown, for example, that gold traces fabricated in a zig-zag pattern on silicone EPAM retain their conductivity when stretched up to 80%, compared to 1-5% when fabricated as a uniform 2-dimensional electrode. Lastly, the paper presents the performance of various actuators that use EPAM materials. The technology appears to be well-suited for a variety of small-scale actuator applications.