Title | Pressure-Responsive Hierarchical Chiral Photonic Aerogels |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2019 |
Authors | Cao, Y, Lewis, L, Hamad, WY, MacLachlan, MJ |
Journal | ADVANCED MATERIALS |
Volume | 31 |
Pagination | 1808186 |
Date Published | MAY |
Type of Article | Article |
ISSN | 0935-9648 |
Keywords | chiral nematic liquid crystals, hierarchical chiral cellulose aerogels, ice templating, mechanoresponsive photonic crystal aerogels, solvent-sensitive inks |
Abstract | Pressure-responsive chiral photonic aerogels are fabricated by combining liquid crystal self-assembly and ice-templating processes. The aerogels have a hierarchical structure in which the primary 2D chiral nematic structured walls of cellulose nanocrystals form ribbons that support a secondary 3D cellular network. Owing to the flexibility of the aerogels in solvent, the 3D structure of the aerogel can easily be transformed to a 2D structure by pressure-induced rearrangement. The aerogels vary from white in color, which arises from light scattering, to a reflective photonic crystal displaying bright iridescent colors that depend on the immersed solvent. A solvent-sensitive ink that shows quick color response to different solvents is designed using the pressure-responsive photonic aerogel. This material demonstrates a new response mechanism for the design of smart and mechanoresponsive photonic materials. |
DOI | 10.1002/adma.201808186 |
