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Tunable structural color of bottlebrush block copolymers through direct-write 3D printing from solution
Bijal B Patel1, Dylan J Walsh1, Do Hoon Kim2
1Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Science Advances
|June 25, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed a 3D printing method for bottlebrush block copolymer photonic crystals, enabling tunable structure color by controlling nanoscale assembly. This advance offers on-the-fly property tuning for functional materials.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Controlling nanoscale microstructure is crucial for advanced functional materials.
- Additive manufacturing offers precise material deposition but struggles with nanoscale control.
- Bottlebrush block copolymers (BBCPs) are promising for photonic applications due to their unique self-assembly.
Purpose of the Study:
- To integrate nonequilibrium self-assembly with direct-write 3D printing.
- To create BBCP photonic crystals (PCs) with tunable structure color.
- To establish a method for on-the-fly property tuning of functional materials.
Main Methods:
- Direct-write 3D printing of BBCP ink solutions.
- Varying deposition conditions to control self-assembly.
- In situ optical microscopy and solvent-vapor annealing.
- Physical characterization (e.g., Bragg-Snell equation analysis).
Main Results:
- Achieved tunable structure color in BBCP PCs, with reflected wavelengths from 403 to 626 nm (blue to red).
- Demonstrated a >70 nm change in d-spacing, linked to lamellar domain spacing modulation.
- Identified kinetic trapping of metastable microstructures during printing as the key mechanism for domain size control.
- Confirmed vivid optical effects due to tuned polymer conformation.
Conclusions:
- Successfully integrated nonequilibrium self-assembly and 3D printing for BBCP photonic crystals.
- Developed a robust processing scheme for tunable structure color via nanoscale control.
- The method allows for on-the-fly property tuning, applicable to various functional materials.
