An article comprising: an infrared blocking layer comprising a host material and a plurality of composite fibers; wherein the plurality of composite fibers is embedded in the host material; wherein the infrared blocking layer has two main surfaces having a length and a width; wherein a ratio between one or both of the length, 1, and width, w, to a height, h, of the infrared blocking layer is greater than or equal to 10:1; wherein the infrared blocking layer comprises a fiber cap layer (50, 60) and a fiber-free layer, wherein the fiber-free layer is located on at least one of said main surfaces, or wherein the infrared blocking layer comprises a skin region adjacent to at least one of said main surfaces and a shell region adjacent to said skin region having an average fiber angle greater than the average fiber angle of the skin region; wherein an average fiber angle (α f) of the plurality of composite fibers in said fiber cap layer (50, 60) or in said skin layer of the infrared blocking layer is 0 to 20° relative to a main surface of the infrared blocking layer, wherein the average fiber angle is determined based on the relative angle of a central fiber axis of the composite fibers relative to one of the main surfaces; wherein each of the composite fibers of the plurality of composite fibers comprises a contrast material (32, 42) and a matrix material (34, 44); wherein the contrast material forms a photonic crystal in the matrix material (34, 44) that when exposed to an infrared radiation manifests a photonic band gap; wherein the plurality of composite fibers comprises at least one of a plurality of photonic band gap fibers, wherein the contrast material (42, 32) in the photonic band gap fibers are rods that form a hexagonal lattice, a honeycomb lattice, a square lattice, a triangular lattice, a Kagome lattice of the contrast material (32, 42), or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing; or a plurality of Bragg fibers having a 1-D photonic crystal arrangement of concentric rings of the contrast material concentrically located around an inner fiber core. an infrared blocking layer comprising a host material and a plurality of composite fibers; wherein the plurality of composite fibers is embedded in the host material; wherein the infrared blocking layer has two main surfaces having a length and a width; wherein a ratio between one or both of the length, 1, and width, w, to a height, h, of the infrared blocking layer is greater than or equal to 10:1; wherein the infrared blocking layer comprises a fiber cap layer (50, 60) and a fiber-free layer, wherein the fiber-free layer is located on at least one of said main surfaces, or wherein the infrared blocking layer comprises a skin region adjacent to at least one of said main surfaces and a shell region adjacent to said skin region having an average fiber angle greater than the average fiber angle of the skin region; wherein an average fiber angle (α f) of the plurality of composite fibers in said fiber cap layer (50, 60) or in said skin layer of the infrared blocking layer is 0 to 20° relative to a main surface of the infrared blocking layer, wherein the average fiber angle is determined based on the relative angle of a central fiber axis of the composite fibers relative to one of the main surfaces; wherein each of the composite fibers of the plurality of composite fibers comprises a contrast material (32, 42) and a matrix material (34, 44); wherein the contrast material forms a photonic crystal in the matrix material (34, 44) that when exposed to an infrared radiation manifests a photonic band gap; wherein the plurality of composite fibers comprises at least one of a plurality of photonic band gap fibers, wherein the contrast material (42, 32) in the photonic band gap fibers are rods that form a hexagonal lattice, a honeycomb lattice, a square lattice, a triangular lattice, a Kagome lattice of the contrast material (32, 42), or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing; or a plurality of Bragg fibers having a 1-D photonic crystal arrangement of concentric rings of the contrast material concentrically located around an inner fiber core. a plurality of photonic band gap fibers, wherein the contrast material (42, 32) in the photonic band gap fibers are rods that form a hexagonal lattice, a honeycomb lattice, a square lattice, a triangular lattice, a Kagome lattice of the contrast material (32, 42), or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing; or a plurality of Bragg fibers having a 1-D photonic crystal arrangement of concentric rings of the contrast material concentrically located around an inner fiber core.