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Biomimetic reflectors fabricated using self-organising, self-aligning liquid crystal polymers
Ariosto Matranga1, Sarwat Baig, Jessica Boland
1Hewlett-Packard Labs, Long Down Avenue, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, BS34 8QZ, UK.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|November 9, 2012
Summary
Researchers created a polymer reflector inspired by golden beetles using self-organizing liquid crystal layers. This novel material eliminates the need for separate aligning layers, enabling complex structures through sequential coating.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Biomimicry
Background:
- Structural color in nature, like in beetles, offers inspiration for advanced optical materials.
- Photopolymerized liquid crystals enable the creation of materials with tunable optical properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a polymer reflector mimicking the optical and structural properties of a golden beetle.
- To investigate self-alignment capabilities of photopolymerized liquid crystal layers for complex structure fabrication.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a polymer reflector using self-organizing layers of photopolymerized liquid crystal.
- Demonstration of a novel self-aligning technique for sequential coating of engineered materials.
Main Results:
- The polymer reflector successfully mimicked the color and molecular structure of a golden beetle.
- A single layer of the photopolymerized liquid crystal material demonstrated self-alignment for subsequent coatings.
- This enabled the construction of complex multilayered structures.
Conclusions:
- A biomimetic polymer reflector was successfully synthesized.
- The self-aligning property of the photopolymerized liquid crystal layer simplifies fabrication processes.
- This technique allows for the creation of intricate, multilayered optical materials.
