Three-Dimensional Printing of Structural Color Using a Femtoliter Meniscus

Structural colors are produced by the diffraction of light from microstructures. The collective arrangement of substructures is a simple and cost-effective approach for structural coloration represented by colloidal self-assembly. Nanofabrication methods enable precise and flexible coloration by processing individual nanostructures, but these methods are expensive or complex. Direct integration of desired structural coloration remains difficult because of the limited resolution, material-specificity, or complexity. Here, we demonstrate three-dimensional printing of structural colors by direct writing of nanowire gratings using a femtoliter meniscus of polymer ink. This method combines a simple process, desired coloration, and direct integration at a low cost. Precise and flexible coloration is demonstrated by printing the desired structural colors and shapes. In addition, alignment-resolved selective reflection is shown for displayed image control and color synthesis. The direct integration facilitates structural coloration on various substrates, including quartz, silicon, platinum, gold, and flexible polymer films. We expect that our contribution can expand the utility of diffraction gratings across various disciplines such as surface-integrated strain sensors, transparent reflective displays, fiber-integrated spectrometers, anticounterfeiting, biological assays, and environmental sensors.