Responsive Colloidal Crystal for Spectrometer Grating

Diffraction gratings have a demonstrated value in optical applications, such as monochromators and spectrometers. Recent efforts have been directed at finding simple ways to manufacture diffraction gratings at low cost and under mild conditions. Here we present a practical strategy to fabricate a diffraction grating by simply treating an elastic photonic crystal film with a gradient of stress. The film was made of non-close-packed colloidal crystal arrays embedded in hydrogel polymer. Its photonic band gap (PBG) could be tuned precisely by using varying levels of pressure. Thus, when the elastic photonic crystal film was subjected to a stress gradient, a novel diffraction grating with continuously varying PBGs in the whole visible range could be achieved. The practical application of this type of diffraction grating was demonstrated in a miniaturized spectrometer system

Bioinspired Multifunctional Janus Particles for Droplet Manipulation

Inspired by the nipple arrays covering mosquitoes’ eyes and the heterogeneous textured bumps on beetles’ backs, we have developed a new kind of Janus particle with multiplexed features, such as different boss arrays and wettability compartmentalized on the same surface, and an anisotropic color and magnetic properties. The prepared Janus particles can be anchored at the air–water interface and act as a highly flexible barrier for preventing coalescence of water droplets. The incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles can give the Janus particles magnetic responsiveness for controlled transportation and coalescence of liquid marbles, while the structural colors in the Janus particles can be employed for barcoding of the encapsulated liquid marbles. We believe that these small Janus particles have great potential as components for constructing intelligent interfacial objects

Bioinspired Multifunctional Janus Particles for Droplet Manipulation

Inspired by the nipple arrays covering mosquitoes’ eyes and the heterogeneous textured bumps on beetles’ backs, we have developed a new kind of Janus particle with multiplexed features, such as different boss arrays and wettability compartmentalized on the same surface, and an anisotropic color and magnetic properties. The prepared Janus particles can be anchored at the air–water interface and act as a highly flexible barrier for preventing coalescence of water droplets. The incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles can give the Janus particles magnetic responsiveness for controlled transportation and coalescence of liquid marbles, while the structural colors in the Janus particles can be employed for barcoding of the encapsulated liquid marbles. We believe that these small Janus particles have great potential as components for constructing intelligent interfacial objects

Bioinspired Multifunctional Janus Particles for Droplet Manipulation

Inspired by the nipple arrays covering mosquitoes’ eyes and the heterogeneous textured bumps on beetles’ backs, we have developed a new kind of Janus particle with multiplexed features, such as different boss arrays and wettability compartmentalized on the same surface, and an anisotropic color and magnetic properties. The prepared Janus particles can be anchored at the air–water interface and act as a highly flexible barrier for preventing coalescence of water droplets. The incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles can give the Janus particles magnetic responsiveness for controlled transportation and coalescence of liquid marbles, while the structural colors in the Janus particles can be employed for barcoding of the encapsulated liquid marbles. We believe that these small Janus particles have great potential as components for constructing intelligent interfacial objects

Bioinspired Multifunctional Janus Particles for Droplet Manipulation

Inspired by the nipple arrays covering mosquitoes’ eyes and the heterogeneous textured bumps on beetles’ backs, we have developed a new kind of Janus particle with multiplexed features, such as different boss arrays and wettability compartmentalized on the same surface, and an anisotropic color and magnetic properties. The prepared Janus particles can be anchored at the air–water interface and act as a highly flexible barrier for preventing coalescence of water droplets. The incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles can give the Janus particles magnetic responsiveness for controlled transportation and coalescence of liquid marbles, while the structural colors in the Janus particles can be employed for barcoding of the encapsulated liquid marbles. We believe that these small Janus particles have great potential as components for constructing intelligent interfacial objects

Wide-Gamut Biomimetic Structural Colors from Interference-Assisted Two-Photon Polymerization

Two-photon polymerization (TPP) is an emerging direct laser writing technique for the fabrication of structural colors. However, its coloration ability is suppressed as the vertical resolution is up to several microns. To solve this issue, an interference-assisted TPP technique was employed. Laser interference at a highly reflective interface produced the periodic energy redistribution along the vertical direction, turning the laser voxel into multilayer structures and confirming this technology as a facile and robust method for precise control of its vertical feature size. Biomimetic structural colors (BSCs) inspired from the ridge-lamella configurations in the Morph butterflies were fabricated using this improved TPP technique. The coloration mechanisms of the multilayer interference from the lamella layers, the thin-film interference from the fusion of multilayers, and the hybrid situations were systematically studied. These BSC colors were grouped as pixel palettes with various TPP parameters corresponding to each other, and they spanned almost the entire standard red–green–blue color space. Moreover, under optimized conditions, it was possible to fabricate a 1 cm2 area within 2.5 h. These features make interference-assisted TPP an ideal coloration method for practical applications, such as display, decoration, sensing, and so on

Bioinspired Multifunctional Janus Particles for Droplet Manipulation

Inspired by the nipple arrays covering mosquitoes’ eyes and the heterogeneous textured bumps on beetles’ backs, we have developed a new kind of Janus particle with multiplexed features, such as different boss arrays and wettability compartmentalized on the same surface, and an anisotropic color and magnetic properties. The prepared Janus particles can be anchored at the air–water interface and act as a highly flexible barrier for preventing coalescence of water droplets. The incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles can give the Janus particles magnetic responsiveness for controlled transportation and coalescence of liquid marbles, while the structural colors in the Janus particles can be employed for barcoding of the encapsulated liquid marbles. We believe that these small Janus particles have great potential as components for constructing intelligent interfacial objects

Wide-Gamut Biomimetic Structural Colors from Interference-Assisted Two-Photon Polymerization

Two-photon polymerization (TPP) is an emerging direct laser writing technique for the fabrication of structural colors. However, its coloration ability is suppressed as the vertical resolution is up to several microns. To solve this issue, an interference-assisted TPP technique was employed. Laser interference at a highly reflective interface produced the periodic energy redistribution along the vertical direction, turning the laser voxel into multilayer structures and confirming this technology as a facile and robust method for precise control of its vertical feature size. Biomimetic structural colors (BSCs) inspired from the ridge-lamella configurations in the Morph butterflies were fabricated using this improved TPP technique. The coloration mechanisms of the multilayer interference from the lamella layers, the thin-film interference from the fusion of multilayers, and the hybrid situations were systematically studied. These BSC colors were grouped as pixel palettes with various TPP parameters corresponding to each other, and they spanned almost the entire standard red–green–blue color space. Moreover, under optimized conditions, it was possible to fabricate a 1 cm2 area within 2.5 h. These features make interference-assisted TPP an ideal coloration method for practical applications, such as display, decoration, sensing, and so on