Abstract
In order to develop a fast, efficient and drop-on-demand method to produce structural colors, ink-jet printing technology was applied in fabricating photonic crystals on fabric substrates. The formulation of poly (styrene-methacrylic acid) (P(St-MAA)) colloidal inks, especially, the “coffee ring” effects on deposited droplets and the related suppression method were detailedly investigated through characterizing the morphology and color changes of the ink-jetted droplets, and different drop-on-demand ink-jet printers were used to print the photonic crystal patterns. The results showed that 10vol% P(St-MAA) colloidal microspheres and 4–6vol% Formamide (FA) were the main components of the colloidal inks, in which the addition of FA effectively suppressed the “coffee ring” effects by producing a surface tension gradient from the edge of the droplet to center and inducing an inward capillary flow from the edge to the center along the droplet surface due to its higher boiling point and lower surface tension. In addition, the resultant photonic crystal patterns exhibited vivid structural colors and distinct iridescent phenomenon.
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