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Nam S, Jung W, Shin JH, Choi SS. Omnidirectional color wavelength tuning of stretchable chiral liquid crystal elastomers. LIGHT, SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS 2024; 13:114. [PMID: 38773092 PMCID: PMC11109264 DOI: 10.1038/s41377-024-01470-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Wavelength-tunable structural colors using stimuli-responsive materials, such as chiral liquid crystals (CLCs), have attracted increasing attention owing to their high functionality in various tunable photonic applications. Ideally, on-demand omnidirectional wavelength control is highly desirable from the perspective of wavelength-tuning freedom. However, despite numerous previous research efforts on tunable CLC structural colors, only mono-directional wavelength tuning toward shorter wavelengths has been employed in most studies to date. In this study, we report the ideally desired omnidirectional wavelength control toward longer and shorter wavelengths with significantly improved tunability over a broadband wavelength range. By using areal expanding and contractive strain control of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) with chiral liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs), simultaneous and omnidirectional structural color-tuning control was achieved. This breakthrough in omnidirectional wavelength control enhances the achievable tuning freedom and versatility, making it applicable to a broad range of high-functional photonic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seungmin Nam
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Korea
| | - Wontae Jung
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Korea
| | - Jun Hyuk Shin
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Korea
| | - Su Seok Choi
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Korea.
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Zhou S, Yang Z, Feng X, Zuo J, Wang N, Thummavichai K, Zhu Y. The frontier of tungsten oxide nanostructures in electronic applications. iScience 2024; 27:109535. [PMID: 38617562 PMCID: PMC11015465 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Electrochromic (EC) glazing has garnered significant attention recently as a crucial solution for enhancing energy efficiency in future construction and automotive sectors. EC glazing could significantly reduce the energy usage of buildings compared to traditional blinds and glazing. Despite their commercial availability, several challenges remain, including issues with switching time, leakage of electrolytes, production costs, etc. Consequently, these areas demand more attention and further studies. Among inorganic-based EC materials, tungsten oxide nanostructures are essential due to its outstanding advantages such as low voltage demand, high coloration coefficient, large optical modulation range, and stability. This review will summarize the principal design and mechanism of EC device fabrication. It will highlight the current gaps in understanding the mechanism of EC theory, discuss the progress in material development for EC glazing, including various solutions for improving EC materials, and finally, introduce the latest advancements in photo-EC devices that integrate photovoltaic and EC technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, MOE Key Laboratory of New Processing Technology for Nonferrous Metals and Materials, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Zanhe Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, MOE Key Laboratory of New Processing Technology for Nonferrous Metals and Materials, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Xiangyu Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, MOE Key Laboratory of New Processing Technology for Nonferrous Metals and Materials, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Jiaxin Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, MOE Key Laboratory of New Processing Technology for Nonferrous Metals and Materials, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Nannan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, MOE Key Laboratory of New Processing Technology for Nonferrous Metals and Materials, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Kunyapat Thummavichai
- Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
| | - Yanqiu Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, MOE Key Laboratory of New Processing Technology for Nonferrous Metals and Materials, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
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Ran X, Ren J, Zhang S, Wu Y, Wu S. Multicolor Electrochromic Display and Patterned Device Based on Hollow-SiO 2-Supported WO 3 Photonic Crystals. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:41763-41771. [PMID: 37608572 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c09956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Electrochromic photonic crystals (PCs) have been intensively studied in the field of display, sensors, and intelligent materials due to their tunable brilliant structural colors. The mostly studied electrochromic PCs are based on the tunable lattice parameter after electrifying; namely, the electrochromic process is caused by the structural change of PCs. Besides the lattice parameter, the refractive index is another key factor to determine the structural color of PCs. Here, a kind of hollow-SiO2-supported WO3 (H-SiO2/WO3) PCs is designed, where the refractive index of the WO3 portion is changeable under charging. Benefiting from the support effect and tunable thickness of H-SiO2, large-area PC samples with good surface morphology and bright multicolor output are prepared. The reflection peaks of these composite PCs can shift by 30-90 nm, and their corresponding colors changed obviously after the voltage was applied. After being pixelated by laser-marking, the H-SiO2/WO3 PCs can dynamically display different numeric and alphabetic patterns in an electric-driven writing and erasing process. Not only does this composite PC structure broaden the color change range of WO3-based materials but also avoids the structural change in the electrochromic process. This work provides more possibilities for electrochromic PCs in the field of color-changing pattern displays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxu Ran
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontier Science Center for Smart Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Jie Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontier Science Center for Smart Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Shufen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontier Science Center for Smart Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Yue Wu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences Ningbo 315201, China
| | - Suli Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontier Science Center for Smart Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
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An angle-compensating colorimetric strain sensor with wide working range and its fabrication method. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21926. [PMID: 36536055 PMCID: PMC9763495 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26272-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The visual response is one of the most intuitive principles of sensors. Therefore, emission and change of the colors are widely studied for development of chemical, thermal and mechanical sensors. And it is still a challenging issue to fabricate them with a simple working mechanism, high sensitivity, good reliability, and a cost-effective fabrication process. In this study, we propose a mechanical strain sensor, which has 2D photonic crystal structures in nanoscale on stretchable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. Due to the periodic nanostructures, the surface of the sensor produces structural colors. And when it is stretched, the periodicity of the nanostructures changes, which results in the shift of the colors. Multiple nanostructures with different periodicities are integrated on the sensor in order to extend the working range up to 150% with high sensitivity. In addition, reusable and robust molds, which are fabricated by self-assembly of nanoparticles, are used for multiple replications of sensor substrates. Thus, the fabrication process of this study is believed to be potential for possible industrial manufacturing. This study is expected to contribute to strain sensors in the future for the applications of health care, infrastructure monitoring, soft robotics, and wearable devices.
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