Advances in colored carbon‐based fiber materials and their emerging applications

Abstract Carbon‐based fiber materials are widely used in aerospace, military, and electronics owing to their outstanding comprehensive properties. However, the high degree of crystallization and chemical inertness of their surfaces impede the coloring of such materials by traditional dyeing methods, thereby limiting their application in a broader field. Exploring advanced micro/nano‐processing technology for colored carbon‐based fiber materials has become a growing interdisciplinary research area in recent years. Therefore, this review comprehensively discusses the structure‒color‒function relationships of carbon‐based fiber materials. The structure of carbon‐based fiber materials and their properties responsible for challenges in coloring by traditional dyeing methods are discussed. Moreover, the color‐generating mechanisms underlying the display of structural colors by living organisms due to fundamental optical phenomena, including thin/multilayer‐film interference, diffraction grating, scattering, and photonic crystals, are described. Furthermore, recent progress in bio‐inspirated colored carbon‐based fiber materials prepared via advanced micro/nanoscale manufacturing strategies is reviewed. In addition, emerging applications of colored carbon‐based fiber materials in various fields are presented. Finally, the possible challenges and future directions for the design, large‐scale production, and application of colored carbon‐based fiber materials and their composites are discussed, aiming to promote the material design of innovative next‐generation systems and research in the advanced material and related engineering fields.