Multi-Functional Luminescent Coating for Wood Fabric Based on Silica Sol-Gel Approach

Environmentally friendly protection coatings have obtained increasing attention for their use in wooden materials, which can be destroyed easily when exposed to outdoor environments. A series of silane sol coatings coordinated with Eu3+ was prepared by hydrolyzing silane compounds. The obtained luminescent coating with three-dimensional net structure showed excellent optical, anti-ultraviolet aging, and thermal stability. The hybrid silane-modified compound coating was well-distributed on the wood by Si–O bonds to prevent its removal. The compound coating could stave off the decomposition of wood by converting ultraviolet light into red light and a charring action can endow the wood with thermal stability at high temperature, demonstrating the improvement of fire resistance and radiation residence following prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light, proving its excellent anti-ultraviolet aging properties.

Large-area display textiles integrated with functional systems

Displays are basic building blocks of modern electronics1,2. Integrating displays into textiles offers exciting opportunities for smart electronic textiles – the ultimate form of wearables poised to change the way we interact with electronic devices3-6. Display textiles serve to bridge human-machine interactions7-9, offering for instance, a real-time communication tool for individuals with voice or speech disorders. Electronic textiles capable of communicating10, sensing11,12 and supplying electricity13,14 have been reported previously. However, textiles 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 500000 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 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, keyboard and power supply can serve as a communication tool, which could potentially drive the Internet of Things in various areas including healthcare. Our approach unifies the fabrication and function of electronic devices with textiles, and we expect weaving fibre materials to shape the next-generation electronics.