Electrically programmable color and shape morphing in photonic glass elastomers with reduced voltages

Abstract

Electrochromic materials that integrate structural colors and dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) can simultaneously change colors and shapes upon voltages. Typically, operation voltages for these materials are high, reaching several kilovolts. To achieve color changes at lower voltages, we reduce the modulus by lowering silica nanoparticle volume fraction and adding a secondary acrylate monomer, while also ensuring that photonic elastomers maintain recognizable colors. We utilize binary silica nanoparticles to make photonic glass elastomers that show angle-independent structural colors. The photonic glass DEA shows color changes of 85 nm at 800 V with color change sensitivity of 0.11 nm/V, surpassing previous reports. By making a double-layered DEA, we can not only control the shape changes, but also increase the color contrast. This solid-state elastic electrochromic material, offering programmable color change and shape morphing, holds broad applications in wearable devices, camouflage, and flexible displays.