Dynamic anticounterfeiting and tunable lasing with screen-printed cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers
Abstract
Structural colors hold significant application value in anticounterfeiting, displays, and smart coatings due to their high stability, eco-friendliness, and dynamic optical response potential. However, conventional fabrication strategies for photonic crystals—such as photolithography and inkjet printing—suffer from limitations including high mask costs, nozzle clogging, lattice defects, and difficulties in scaling production. This study introduces an innovative screen-printing technique to achieve high-fidelity and multicolor structural color patterning based on cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs), overcoming key challenges in controlling the alignment of mesoscopic helical structures and ensuring spatial homogeneity of the photonic bandgap. Crucially, the chiral helical superstructure of CLCEs was investigated, revealing its decisive role in governing the circular polarization properties of the reflected light. The printed patterns exhibit dynamic optical behaviors, including viewing-angle-dependent color shifts, inherent selective circularly polarized reflection dictated by the handedness of the helix, and reversible mechanochromic responses under strain. Furthermore, integration of photochromic spiropyran enables multistimulus-responsive color and fluorescence switching under light and thermal stimuli, as well as ultraviolet-tunable (645 to 685 nm) random lasing emission. This work demonstrates that screen-printed CLCEs, with their excellent substrate compatibility and scalability, constitute a promising platform for next-generation anticounterfeiting labels, smart packaging, and flexible photonic devices.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (10)
Guangyin Qu
State Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Protection Technology, School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Manipulation of Ministry of Education, Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui University
Lulu Guo
State Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Protection Technology, School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Manipulation of Ministry of Education, Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui University
Xiaojuan Zhang
Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery
Siqi Li
Yan Kuai
State Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Protection Technology, School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Manipulation of Ministry of Education, Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui University
Weiwei Fu
State Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Protection Technology, School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Manipulation of Ministry of Education, Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui University
Tianyu Yang
Jialin Wen
Institute of Opto-Electronic Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Benli Yu
Zhijia Hu
State Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Protection Technology, School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Manipulation of Ministry of Education, Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui University