Electrically Tunable Coloration in Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Films for Adaptive Camouflage

Polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLC), as an electrochromic material, can rapidly undergo reversible switching between scattering and transparent states, demonstrating significant potential in electro-optic fields. However, traditional PDLC films are limited to simplicial transition between a scattering state and a transparent state without switchable colors, lacking the opportunity for adaptive camouflage especially in military related items. In this study, chromium trioxide (Cr2O3) and ionic liquid (IL) were incorporated into the PDLC, enabling color change through redox reactions between the IL and liquid crystal molecules with reversibly transition from green to yellow, possessing excellent electrochromic adaptive camouflage performance. By applying a 5 V electric field, the PDLC films can be successfully manipulated to simulate the colors of various terrestrial backgrounds, including the green forests, the yellow and green mountainous regions, the yellow wilderness areas, the white snow, and the yellow deserts. This research provides new insights into the application of PDLC films for switchable color adaptive camouflage, broadening the application range of PDLC.