Review of indium-free, transparent and flexible metallic fibers for wearable electronics

The use of transparent metallic fibers (TMFs) in various applications, including touchscreens, solar cells, and transparent heaters, is gradually increasing, thereby emerging as a state-of-the-art technology in advanced portable and self-powered wearable electronics. This review discusses several novel approaches for fabricating TMFs that exhibit excellent transparency, flexibility, and low sheet resistance. TMFs are aim to meet the increasing demand for soft and wearable electronic and optoelectronic devices. Lightweight and flexible TMFs are alternatives to indium tin oxide, which is expensive, brittle, and possesses low optical transmittance in near-infrared spectra. Moreover, TMF fabrication is scalable. This review focuses on crucial techniques employed in the fabrication of metallic fibers and presents key parameters in a tabular format. In addition, the insights of developing high-performance TMFs for various applications are provided. Finally, challenges associated with the fabrication and integration of TMFs in practical applications are discussed and addressed.