Abstract
Resolution control and expansibility have always been challenges to the fabrication of structural color materials. Here, a facile strategy to print cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs) into complex structural color patterns with variable resolution and enhanced expansibility is reported. A volatile solvent is introduced into the synthesized CLC oligomers, modifying its rheological properties and allowing direct-ink-writing (DIW) under mild conditions. The combination of printing shear flow and anisotropic deswelling of ink drives the CLC molecules into an ordered cholesteric arrangement. The authors meticulously investigate the influence of printing parameters to achieve resolution control over a wide range, allowing for the printing of multi-sized 1D or 2D patterns with constant quality. Furthermore, such solvent-cast direct-ink-writing (DIW) strategy is highly expandable and can be integrated easily into the DIW of bionic robots. Multi-responsive bionic butterfly and flower are printed with biomimetic in both locomotion and coloration. Such designs dramatically reduced the processing difficulty of precise full-color printing and expanded the capability of structural color materials to collaborate with other systems.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.