Rapid fabrication of photonic crystal patterns with iridescent structural colors on textiles by spray coating

• Published in: Dyes and pigments Vol. 195; p. 109747
• Main Authors: Fu, Guoqiang, Zhang, Xiuqin, Chu, Xuemei, Zhou, Yahong, Peng, Xinyu, Chen, Yankun, Su, Meng, Kuang, Minxuan, Song, Yanlin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2021
• Subjects: Colloidal self-assembly; Iridescent structural colors; Patterned photonic crystals; Spray coating; Structural-colored textiles; Iridescent structural colors; Patterned photonic crystals; Colloidal self-assembly; Structural-colored textiles; Spray coating
• ISSN: 0143-7208; 1873-3743
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dyepig.2021.109747

A textile dyeing technique based on structural colors has attracted increasing attention due to the advantages of being fadeless, free of photobleaching, and less pollution. Here, we reported a general method of fabricating vivid iridescent structural colors and photonic crystal (PC) patterns on various textiles by spray coating poly(St-MMA-AA) colloids. With water-repelling and plasma treatments, versatile textiles can be dyed by photonic crystal colorants and exhibit brilliant iridescent structural colors. The results showed that the surface wettability, assembly temperature, particle concentration, spraying distance, and spraying time were important factors in fabricating high-quality PCs on textiles. Due to the soft shell of the colloids with abundant COOH groups, as-prepared structural-colored fabrics presented a flexible and tough character. 1.Fabricating vivid iridescent structural colors and PC patterns on various textiles by spray coating poly(St-MMA-AA) colloids.2.Combining fluorosilane functionalization and plasma to create a modified surface for self-assembling long-range ordered PCs on textiles.3.The structural-colored fabrics present a flexible character due to the soft shell of the colloids with abundant COOH groups,4.The spray-coated fabrics display varied iridescence colors at different viewing angles.