Patterned photonic crystals fabricated by inkjet printing

This paper highlights the research advances in patterned colloidal photonic crystals (PCs) fabricated by inkjet printing. Firstly, we introduce the formation process for the inkjet droplets, and then discuss the crucial factors influencing the deposition pattern and colloidal assembly of the inkjet PC droplet, including the printing substrate and ink composition. Subsequently, various PC patterns are demonstrated, such as high-quality PC patterns, fast-responsive PC patterns and PC chips for immunoassay. Finally, the outlook and challenges for patterned PCs formed by inkjet printing are discussed.