Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Fantao Meng, Benzhi Ju, Zhenzhi Wang, Ronghui Han, Yuang Zhang, Shufen Zhang, Ping Wu, Bingtao Tang
Summary: We present a new synthetic strategy that combines N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) chemistry and photonic crystals for the fabrication of polypeptide structural color films. Through surface-initiated ring-opening polymerization, a di-NCA derivative of L-cystine (Cys) is utilized to replicate functionalized colloidal crystal templates and create freestanding P(Cys) films with adjustable structural color. The feasibility of producing patterned polypeptide photonic films is demonstrated through template microfabrication. The introduction of L-glutamate (Glu) components enables the P(Cys-co-Glu) copolypeptide films to exhibit visual color responsiveness to pH changes. Additionally, the polypeptide photonic films possess on-demand degradability.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Pei Shi, Eiji Miwa, Jialei He, Miki Sakai, Takahiro Seki, Yukikazu Takeoka
Summary: Organisms that alter body color change according to environmental variations and stimuli by combining chromatophores. Inspired by this, bioinspired composite elastomers exhibit various color changes due to pigment color, structural color, and background color changes. The structural colors in the elastomers come from fine silica particles forming colloidal crystals, and can reversibly change as the material elongates. Additionally, the introduction of photochromic dyes allows for reversible color changes depending on the wavelength of irradiated light.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Wentao Ma, Bo Li, Lei Jiang, Ya Sun, Yehui Wu, Pengfei Zhao, Guimin Chen
Summary: This study proposes a new methodology for coloration inspired by the feather color change of a hummingbird. By integrating a view-angle dependent photonic diffraction grating pattern and voltage-actuated dielectric elastomers, a structure-colorable flexural artificial muscle (FlexAM) is developed. The FlexAM demonstrates ultrafast coloration and excellent fatigue resistance, and can be used in a photonic display device for displaying numbers and letters.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xintao Lai, Jingsong Peng, Qunfeng Cheng, Antoni P. Tomsia, Guanlei Zhao, Lei Liu, Guisheng Zou, Yanlin Song, Lei Jiang, Mingzhu Li
Summary: Bioinspired dynamic structural color is demonstrated in a flexible, mechanically triggered color switchable sheet, showing excellent color stability even after recycling over 10,000 times. Finite element modeling reveals that the thickness of PDMS kirigami and the chamfer at the incision play crucial roles in the out-of-plane deformation through in-plane stretching. This bioinspired PhC-PDMS kirigami exhibits robust functionality, technical flexibility, and mechanical durability, making it suitable for a variety of applications.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Pan Xue, Yuanhao Chen, Yiyi Xu, Cristian Valenzuela, Xuan Zhang, Hari Krishna Bisoyi, Xiao Yang, Ling Wang, Xinhua Xu, Quan Li
Summary: Biomimetic MXene-based soft actuators with angle-independent structural color are developed. These soft actuators exhibit brilliant, angle-independent structural color and ultrafast actuation and recovery speeds in response to acetone vapor.
NANO-MICRO LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Juan Xue, Xuewu Yin, Lulu Xue, Chenglin Zhang, Shihua Dong, Li Yang, Yuanlai Fang, Yong Li, Ling Li, Jiaxi Cui
Summary: Many organisms produce stunning optical displays based on structural color, achieved through the interaction of light with micro-/nano-structures. Unfortunately, current synthetic materials are often brittle and energy-intensive. Inspired by peacock feathers, researchers have developed a self-growing photonic composite system that allows for easy tuning of coloration. This innovative method offers flexibility, toughness, self-healing ability, and reshaping capability, making it a promising solution for various applications of structural color materials.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Miaomiao Li, Quanqian Lyu, Bolun Peng, Xiaodong Chen, Lianbin Zhang, Jintao Zhu
Summary: This review summarizes the design principles and applications of colloidal photonic composites (CPCs), focusing on the building blocks and strategies for constructing CPCs with robust performance and specific functionality. The state-of-the-art applications, including colorful coatings, anti-counterfeiting, and regulation of photoluminescence, are discussed, with a particular emphasis on visualized sensing. The current challenges and potential for future developments in this field are also explored.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Crystallography
Giselle Rosetta, John J. Tomes, Mike Butters, Matthew Gunn, Chris E. Finlayson
Summary: This study presents three-dimensional goniometric measurements of structural color from melt-sheared polymer nanoparticle composites, revealing high-angle features resulting from Bragg scattering. The spectroscopic and angular properties of these scattering spots are depicted through 'scattering cones' obtained from full 180 degrees hemispherical scans. The Miller indices of the responsible photonic crystal planes are identified, and observations are made regarding the appearance of scattering in quasi-ordered systems. The report contributes to the understanding of Bragg scattering and structural color in disordered structures, with implications for practical applications in sensing.
Article
Polymer Science
Shu Yang, Hongming Xiang, Yingwen Wang, Kaikai Chen, Weihong Gao
Summary: Monodispersed polystyrene particles are deposited on textile fabrics using a gravity sedimentation method, forming a photonic crystal with iridescent structural color. The fabric substrate, including raw materials, base color, and fabric weave, significantly affects the structural color of the photonic crystals. The addition of silk fibroin to the polystyrene microsphere solution improves the color fastness of the structural color on the fabric surface.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Gabor Piszter, Gergely Nagy, Krisztian Kertesz, Zsofia Baji, Krisztina Kovacs, Zsolt Balint, Zsolt Endre Horvath, Jozsef Sandor Pap, Laszlo Peter Biro
Summary: Photonic nanoarchitectures of butterfly wings can be used as biotemplates for the deposition of ZnO thin films. The resulting ZnO nanoarchitecture preserves the structural and optical properties of the natural system while possessing the characteristics of a functional material. The ZnO-coated wings demonstrate efficient heterogeneous photocatalysis for the degradation of pollutants in water under visible light. The photodegradation rate can be enhanced by adjusting the structural color of the butterfly biotemplates and the thickness of the ZnO coating.
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Keming Zhu, Jing Song, Changqing Fang, Xing Zhou, Mengyuan Pu, Dong Wang
Summary: This review summarizes the functions, self-assembly modes, and applications of different kinds of photonic crystal materials. The preparation methods and characteristics of various types of nanoparticles and MOFs are discussed. The method of assembling colloidal particles into photonic crystals is summarized. The potential applications of structural color in sensors, anti-counterfeiting, fabric coloring, displays, and biomedical fields are presented, along with the development prospects and key problems of photonic crystals.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Polymer Science
Quanqian Lyu, Miaomiao Li, Lianbin Zhang, Jintao Zhu
Summary: This article introduces the constructive strategies, properties, and applications of supramolecular photonic composites. The strategies include introducing supramolecular polymers, coassembly, self-assembly, and compounding with functional substances. Supramolecular photonic composites possess attractive properties and find applications in various fields.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yi Pan, Chang Li, Xiaoyu Hou, Zhenyu Yang, Mingzhu Li, Ho Cheung Shum
Summary: The challenge of achieving individually and independently programmable stimuli-responsive color pixels in color-changing soft materials and devices has been addressed by designing a morphable concavity array on a two-dimensional photonic crystal elastomer. By using multichannel microfluidics, the colors of each concavity can be switched controllably, enabling dynamic display for applications such as anti-counterfeiting and encryption.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qilin He, Harikrishnan Vijayamohanan, Jie Li, Timothy M. Swager
Summary: Photonic Janus particles with a sphere fused to a cone are created through the phase separation of dendronized brush block copolymers and poly(4-vinylpyridine)-r-polystyrene. The particles exhibit tunable structural colors by varying the molecular weight of the copolymers and can be surface-modified for multifunctionality. A real-time magnetic control and electrostatic immobilization of charged biomolecules are achieved, enabling potential applications in biosensing. A new photonic sensor for detecting Salmonella is developed using antibody-modified photonic Janus particles, with the angle-dependent structural color playing a key role in the sensing mechanism.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hailong Liu, Hongtao Wang, Hao Wang, Jie Deng, Qifeng Ruan, Wang Zhang, Omar A. M. Abdelraouf, Norman Soo Seng Ang, Zhaogang Dong, Joel K. W. Yang, Hong Liu
Summary: In this study, a new strategy was devised to generate high-order photonic cavity modes upon side illumination on woodpile photonic crystals, enabling one-step printing of 3D photonic structural colors. The resulting colors are vivid, with a wide spectral range and large viewing angles, and do not require postprocessing or subwavelength features.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Taylor Moot, Cass Palin, Sorin Mitran, James F. Cahoon, Rene Lopez
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2016)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yukihiro Hara, Abay Gadisa, Yulan Fu, Timothy Garvey, Kristina T. Vrouwenvelder, Christopher W. Miller, Jillian L. Dempsey, Rene Lopez
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2016)
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yulan Fu, Cary A. Tippets, Eugenii U. Donev, Rene Lopez
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-NANOMEDICINE AND NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
(2016)
Article
Optics
Christopher Wayne Miller, Yulan Fu, Rene Lopez
Article
Polymer Science
Ricardo Ruiz, Lei Wan, Rene Lopez, Thomas R. Albrecht
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Qian Dong, Yukihiro Hara, Kristina T. Vrouwenvelder, Kai T. Shin, Jared A. Compiano, Mohtashim Saif, Rene Lopez
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2018)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Robert W. Call, Shane Brogan, Leila Alibabaei, Rene Lopez
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Huiyan Liu, Qian Dong, Rene Lopez
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Caroline E. Reilly, Robert J. Dillon, Animesh Nayak, Shane Brogan, Taylor Moot, Matthew K. Brennaman, Rene Lopez, Thomas J. Meyer, Leila Alibabaei
Summary: A core-shell approach was utilized to prepare efficient p-type dye-sensitized solar cells, with photocathodes sensitized using either a porphyrin chromophore or a porphyrin covalently tethered to a ruthenium complex. The sensitized photoelectrodes produced high cathodic photocurrents under simulated sunlight, which were increased by the addition of regenerative hole donors. Slow interfacial recombination kinetics were observed, highlighting the important property of p-type dye-sensitized electrodes.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Peter N. Rudd, Stephen J. Tereniak, Rene Lopez
Summary: Tantalum nitride (Ta3N5) is a promising photoanode material, but its material quality has been a challenge. Defects in Ta3N5 thin films affect their performance and accelerate degradation in water during electrochemical applications. This study experimentally examines the distribution of trap states in Ta3N5 thin films and proposes a targeted passivation strategy to suppress defects and enhance performance. The findings provide valuable insights for the integration and development of high-performance Ta3N5 thin film devices.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yulan Fu, Zhicheng Song, Maojie Jiang, He Ma, Rene Lopez, Jiawei Wang, Yuan Li, Xinping Zhang
Summary: This study demonstrates ultrafast all-optical modulation using a composite structure of VO2 and a gold nanoshell grating, with significantly low pump fluence requirements. The phase transition of VO2 is driven by plasmonic hot-electron injection, resulting in high modulation depth and fast on-off time.
Article
Optics
Eugenii U. Donev, Francis X. Hart, Bertrand Irakoze Nkurunziza, Kevin Bertschinger, Jinlin Zhang, Jae Yong Suh
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Qian Dong, Huiyan Liu, Yukihiro Hara, Hannah E. Starr, Jillian L. Dempsey, Rene Lopez
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2019)
