Anti-Counterfeiting Layer of 2D Colloidal Crystal Based Photonic Material

A facile approach of robust polymer-based two-dimensional (2D) colloidal crystal (CC) layers was presented. This technology enables the convenient fabrication of an anti-counterfeiting coating with a polymeric 2D CC, allowing the fast preparation of functional polymer photonic materials. Briefly, a 2D CC was prepared by self-assembly of polystyrene (PS) submicrospheres, which was then transferred to substrates by adhesive polymeric solution and cured to form a photonic film. Such photonic films strongly and angle dependently diffract visible light, and the high transparency of the photonic layers ensured the readout from the substrate. The PC layers can also prevent the re-write or re-print on the substrate, indicating the potential applications in colorful and anti-counterfeiting coating materials.