Chirality Transfer from Hydroxypropyl Cellulose to Construct Customizable Circularly Polarized Luminescence Materials

Cholesteric liquid crystals formed by natural polymers are particularly useful in structural color materials and circularly polarized optical materials. However, achieving customizable and intrinsic circularly polarized luminescence materials with finely controlled chiroptical properties via chirality transfer remains a formidable challenge owing to complex assembly processes. Herein, a processable chiral photonic hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) material with tunable structural color and circularly polarized light (CPL) is prepared via a simple physical cross-linking strategy. By adjusting the self-assembly and cross-linking process, the HPC-based photonic materials exhibit structured colors across the visible spectrum. Using these photonic inks on various substrates, vivid patterns with high color tunability are demonstrated. Furthermore, the chiral photonic films can serve as wavelength-tunable circularly polarized light filters, effectively transferring chirality to achiral polymers. Notably, by introducing luminophores into the HPC structures, multicolor right-handed CPL with a maximum g lum of −0.34 is achieved through efficient chirality transfer. Moreover, these customizable multicolor CPL-active HPC films can function as programmable pixel dots, which have potential for advanced information displays and encryption applications. This study presents a promising strategy for fabricating high-performance CPL systems, promoting the application of cellulose photonic materials in structural color coatings, chiroptical devices, asymmetric synthesis routes, and advanced displays.