Fabrication of polymeric photonic crystal coatings on diverse substrates: A cooperative DSDV process with colloidal crystals embedded in the precoated polymer layer

PC coatings with structural colors are fabricated by embedding method through cooperative DSDV process. • Different from traditional strategies, the embedding method adopts a new “coating before assembly” strategy. • Conformal PC coatings are prepared on 33 substrates, including boards, fabrics, inorganics, metals, plastics, and rubbers. • The embedding method works for the polystyrene-arylate, alkyd, polyurethane, and polyvinyl alcohol-based PC coatings. Colloidal photonic crystal (PC) coating has wide application in automotive manufacturing, textile dyeing, packaging and printing, cosmetics and personal care, and anti-counterfeiting materials. However, the traditional methods based on strategies of “coating after assembly” and “coating along with assembly” show poor compatibility with the substrates and polymer components. Here, a new method based on the embedding of colloidal crystals into the precoated polymer layer was developed to prepare durable PC coatings with bright and uniform structural colors. This embedding method pioneers a new synthetic strategy, which is “coating before assembly”. The coating formation is proved to follow the DSDV mechanism, which refers to the cooperative “polymer dissolution”, “liquid photonic crystal (LPC) sinking”, “polymer diffusion”, and “solvent volatilization” processes. The embedding method successfully produces conformal SiO 2 /(PS-PMMA) PC coatings with fine surface features on 33 substrates, including fibrous boards, fabrics, inorganics, metals, plastics, and rubbers, and it also works for the fabrication of alkyd resin, polyurethane, and polyvinyl alcohol-based PC coatings, which will accelerate its practical implementation in various scenarios. An embedding method following the “Coating before Assembly” strategy is developed to prepare durable PC coatings with bright and uniform structural colors. This method yields conformal coatings on diverse substrates, including fibrous boards, fabrics, inorganic materials, metals, plastics, and rubbers. Additionally, it is applicable to coatings based on acrylic resin, alkyd resin, polyurethane, and polyvinyl alcohol. Download: Download high-res image (100KB) Download: Download full-size image