Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology
Abstract
Department of Mechanical EngineeringMost materials and devices with structurally switchable color features responsive to external stimuli can actively and flexibly display various colors. However, realizing covert???overt transformation behavior, especially switching between transparent and colored states, is more challenging. Current stimulus-response pattern hiding and displaying technology responds to numerous external stimuli (temperature, light, mechanical stimulation, etc.) and causes a change in dye properties and in the spacing of nanostructures. In this phase change method, it is difficult to completely hide information because patterns are easily expressed due to limited viewing angles or irregular external conditions. Therefore, there is a need for a method of controlling a transparent nanoscale surface that can completely hide information. Thus, we introduce a method of forming traditional buckling-type corrugations using bilayer-like or trilayer film. In addition, the photonic structure is fabricated using an inkjet printing method and completely laminated into the film. Moreover, in this dissertation , we study the principle of structural color in which living organisms have color by a nanostructure without pigment and the characteristics of the nanostructured photonic crystal hidden in it and design a color-changing nanostructure for single and complex structural colors. Nanoscale wrinkles are generated on the ductile top surface of various multilayered substrates by external stimuli, and their geometrical and optical features are determined by the material and structural properties of the laminated films.
First, we develop a bilayer-like laminated film with a rigid SiO2-nanoparticle (NP)-encapsulated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) composite structure surrounded by soft PDMS as a multidimensional structural color platform. Owing to the similarity in the optical properties of PDMS and SiO2 NPs, this device is fully transparent in the normal state. However, as their mechanical strengths differ considerably, upon compressive loading, buckling-type instability arises on the surface of the laminate, leading to the generation of 1D or 2D wrinkled patterns in the form of gratings. As a result, we demonstrate an application of the device in which quick response codes are displayed or hidden as covert???overt convertible-colored patterns for optical encryption/decryption, showing their remarkable potential for anti-counterfeiting applications.
Second, we describe a thin trilayer film that can generate various wrinkles on transparent and flexible films in the presence of external mechanical bending. In particular, the wrinkle wavelength can be controlled on a tens of nanometer scale by modulating the material properties of each layer. This active modulation plays a critical role in determining resulting structural color spectra. In other words, the wrinkles function as a diffraction grating so that the film displays bright structural colors under bending conditions. After the bending stress is released, the wrinkles disappear and the film becomes transparent again.
Lastly, we demonstrate that the material and structural patterning technique shows remarkable potential for structural coloration applications such as multimodal displays and novel barcode-based anti-counterfeiting techniques.ope
