Bioinspired Real-Time Dynamic Responsive Structural Colors

Through millennia of evolution, some organisms can change colors rapidly for camouflage, communication, attraction, and warning to adapt to the dynamic environment. By mimicking the dynamic coloration strategies of natural organisms, artificial materials with responsive structural colors have emerged as promising candidates due to their environmental friendliness, real-time responsiveness to stimuli, and wide color gamut. These materials have attracted immense interest in anti-counterfeiting, displays, sensing, and smart actuators. This paper aims to present a survey on the response mechanisms, color modulation strategies, and applications of the structural color materials that are developed from different principles, such as photonic crystals (PCs), liquid crystals (LCs), and metasurfaces. We first discussed various structural color materials and their colorization mechanisms. We then classified these materials according to their color regulation strategies, such as responsiveness to physical, chemical, and biological stimuli. Subsequently, we provided a comprehensive overview of their applications for anti-counterfeiting, display technologies, sensing devices and detection platforms, and the biomedical field. Finally, we discuss the future prospects of responsive structural color materials and the issues that need to be addressed for their improvement. This review not only summarizes modulation strategies for dynamic structural colors but also provides valuable references and insights for future research in the field of structural coloration.