Helix-enabled advanced fibrous devices are emerging as a powerful multidisciplinary platform for next-generation soft systems, enabling robust functionality under complex mechanical and environmental conditions. Compared with conventional straight-fiber or planar architectures, helical geometries offer high mechanical compliance, large elastic deformability, and geometry-amplified responses. Meanwhile, their hierarchical pore networks and enlarged specific surface area provide additional leverage for regulating mass/heat/electromagnetic transport. In this review, we systematically summarize state-of-the-art progress in helix-enabled fibrous devices across multiple length scales, spanning one-dimensional (1D) helical fibers, two-dimensional (2D) helical fibrous membranes, and three-dimensional (3D) fluffy assemblies. We first clarify helix-formation mechanisms, structure design principles, and representative fabrication strategies, and then highlight broad applications in soft sensing, actuation, energy management, filtration and separation, thermal management, and microwave absorption. Finally, we outline key challenges and opportunities, emphasizing sustainable material platforms, programmable structural control and scalable manufacturing, quantitative structure-property relationships, real-world reliability, and coherent multifunctional integration, aiming to guide the rational design and translation of next-generation helix-enabled fibrous technologies.

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has led to an attention on the usage of personal protective face masks. However, the longevity and safety of the commercial face masks are limited due to the charge dissipation of the electret meltblown nonwovens, which are dominate in the face mask filters. Herein, we design a type of multi-layer structured nonwovens using meltblowing and electrospinning technologies. The complex nonwovens involving meltblown and electrospun fibers are designed to possess multilevel fiber diameters and pore sizes. The micro/nanofibers with porous and wrinkled surface morphologies can well capture particulate matters (PMs), and the multilevel pore sizes contribute to low air resistance under high filtration efficiency. Airflow field simulation was carried out to understand the pressure distribution within the nonwovens in the filtration process. Meanwhile, by adding Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) as additives, the nonwovens exhibit excellent antibacterial performance. The resultant nonwovens exhibit filtration efficiency of 99.1% for PM_0.3 and low pressure drop of 105 Pa under the 10.67 cm/s inlet air velocity, and antibacterial rate of > 99.99% for Escherichia coli. These performances and functions make the designed complex nonwovens a promising filter core for face masks.