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Hierarchical Photonic Pigments via the Confined Self-Assembly of Bottlebrush Block Copolymers

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

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Authors

Song, dong 
Zhao, tianheng 
Guidetti, giulia 
Vignolini, silvia 
Parker, RM 

Abstract

Hierarchical, structurally colored materials offer a wide variety of visual effects that cannot be achieved with standard pigments or dyes. However, their fabrication requires simultaneous control over multiple length-scales. Here we introduce a robust strategy for the fabrication of hierarchical photonic pigments via the confined self-assembly of bottlebrush block copolymers within emulsified microdroplets. The bottlebrush block copolymer self-assembles into highly ordered concentric lamellae, giving rise to a near perfect photonic multi-layer in the solid-state, with reflectivity up to 100%. The reflected color can be readily tuned across the whole visible spectrum by either altering the molecular weight or by blending the bottlebrush block copolymers. Furthermore, the developed photonic pigments are responsive, with a selective and reversible color change observed upon swelling in different solvents. Our system is particularly suited for the scalable production of photonic pigments, arising from their rapid self-assembly mechanism and size-independent color.

Description

Keywords

bottlebrush block copolymers, confined self-assembly, microspheres, photonic crystals, structural colors

Journal Title

ACS Nano

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1936-086X
1936-086X

Volume Title

Publisher

American Chemical Society (ACS)
Sponsorship
European Research Council (639088)
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/K014617/1)
EPSRC (1525292)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/N016920/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/R511675/1)
European Research Council [ERC-2014-STG H2020 639088] BBSRC [David Phillips Fellowship BB/K014617/1] EPSRC [1525292; EP/N016920/1; EP/R511675/1] National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 51873098] Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability.
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