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High-fidelity spherical cholesteric liquid crystal Bragg reflectors generating unclonable patterns for secure
Yong Geng1, JungHyun Noh1, Irena Drevensek-Olenik2,3
1University of Luxembourg, Physics &Materials Science Research Unit, L-1511 Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
Scientific Reports
|May 28, 2016
Summary
Cholesteric liquid crystal shells offer superior optical quality for security tags compared to droplets. These shells enable complex, tuneable patterns through photonic communication, even between non-identical structures.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Materials Science
- Liquid Crystals
Background:
- Monodisperse cholesteric liquid crystal microspheres produce tuneable, multi-coloured patterns via photonic cross-communication.
- These patterns are valuable for security applications, serving as unique identifiers for objects or persons.
- Existing cholesteric droplets suffer from poor optical quality, especially after polymerization, limiting their practical use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the limitations of cholesteric liquid crystal droplets for security applications.
- To investigate the transition from cholesteric droplets to shells to improve optical quality and durability.
- To explore photonic cross-communication in polymerised cholesteric shells, including between non-identical structures.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of monodisperse cholesteric liquid crystal shells.
- Characterization of optical properties and pattern generation before and after polymerization.
- Investigation of photonic cross-communication between shells of varying properties.
Main Results:
- Cholesteric shells exhibit significantly improved optical quality and pattern sharpness post-polymerization compared to droplets.
- Polymerized shells maintain structural integrity and optical performance under mechanical deformation.
- Photonic cross-communication was observed between non-identical cholesteric shells, contrary to previous assumptions.
Conclusions:
- Transitioning from cholesteric droplets to shells overcomes key limitations in optical quality and durability for security applications.
- Cholesteric shells provide a robust platform for creating complex, tuneable optical patterns for authentication.
- The unexpected cross-communication between non-identical shells expands the potential for intricate and unique pattern generation.
