Cholesteric Cellulose Liquid Crystals with Multifunctional Structural Colors

Structural coloration is an intriguing phenomenon that exists widely in living creatures. A genuine bionic design of artificial structural colors requires accommodating of molecular interactions that contribute to dynamic optical responses over various external stimuli. Novel composite cellulose cholesteric liquid crystals are reported with additional molecular interactions and dynamic regulations as a bionic prototype for biological structural coloration. It is found that the incorporation of polymer monomers increases the amount of hydrogen bonds, leading to a broader range of color tunability. In addition, the crosslinking of the polymer is accompanied by a time-dependent structure alternation of the cellulose cholesteric liquid crystals, which offers a duration control of irradiation over the color. Based on these phenomena, a series of structural color materials is developed with dynamic photonic responsiveness and high-resolution patterns; their utility in wearable sensors, graphic displays, and information encryption is demonstrated. It is believed that this study presents a next-generation biomimetic photonic material design and applications for different areas.

Automated summary

This study introduces a novel composite cellulose cholesteric liquid crystals as a bionic prototype for biological structural coloration, allowing for color range adjustments and dynamic control. By incorporating polymer monomers and crosslinking polymers, a series of structural color materials with high-resolution patterns have been developed, showing potential applications in wearable sensors, graphic displays, and information encryption.