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Inkless Rewritable Photonic Crystals Paper Enabled by a Light-Driven Azobenzene Mesogen Switch
Junchao Liu1, Yao Wang2, Jingxia Wang1,3,4
1Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfaces Sciences, Technique Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|March 3, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed novel rewritable paper using azobenzene inverse opals (AZOIOs). This photonic crystal paper offers rapid, reversible color changes for sustainable information display, overcoming previous limitations.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Optics
Background:
- Rewritable paper offers sustainable information transmission.
- Photonic crystals (PCs) are promising for rewritable paper but face challenges like slow response and poor stability.
- Existing PC paper technologies have limitations hindering widespread application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an optically rewritable azobenzene inverse opals (AZOIOs) system for rewritable paper.
- To overcome the limitations of current rewritable paper technologies, such as slow response times and short cycle lifetimes.
- To demonstrate a proof-of-concept for a novel, inkless rewritable colorful paper.
Main Methods:
- Constructed AZOIOs with a thin film (approx. 1 μm) on an inverse opal structure.
- Utilized the UV/vis switchable structure color based on azobenzene isomerization.
- Employed a protective top thin film to maintain pore structure integrity.
Main Results:
- Achieved a large, reversible, and rapid bandgap shift of approx. 60 nm in 2 seconds.
- Demonstrated over 100 cycles of reversible color change under alternating UV/vis irradiation.
- Enabled on-demand, long-time pattern preservation via azobenzene's intrinsic color.
Conclusions:
- AZOIOs provide a viable platform for high-performance rewritable paper.
- The developed system overcomes key limitations of previous rewritable PC paper technologies.
- This inkless rewritable paper technology paves the way for novel display applications.
