Abstract
The production of patterned photonic films on a large scale remains a challenge. Here, we report on a new class of photonic materials that are based on oxetane liquid crystals (LCs). Patterned reflective coatings can be produced from these materials on flexible substrates by using flexographic printing. This industrially relevant process allows for upscaling in future applications. Furthermore, the oxetane LCs used do not require an inert atmosphere for photopolymerization, unlike previously described acrylate systems. We show that the flexographic printing process results in excellent alignment, and that the patterns produced display a high resolution. Additionally, we demonstrate that free-standing photonic reflecting foils can also be produced from these materials. Our new oxetane-based patterned iridescent colored materials have potential application for both esthetic purposes as well as anticounterfeit labels.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 7423-7430 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Early online date | 28 Jan 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 20 Feb 2019 |
Funding
*E-mail: [email protected]. ORCID Davey C. Hoekstra: 0000-0002-4471-588X Michael G. Debije: 0000-0001-8844-1115 Albert P. H. J. Schenning: 0000-0002-3485-1984 Author Contributions This manuscript was written through contributions of all authors. All authors have given approval to the final version of this manuscript. Funding This work was financially supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (TOP-PUNT 718.016.003).
Keywords
- flexographic printing
- liquid crystals
- oxetane polymers
- photonic crystals
- reflective films