Responsive Photonic Crystals

TLDR

Responsive photonic crystal fabrication relies mainly on self‑assembly, offering lower cost and higher efficiency than microfabrication, yet further development is needed, and natural photonic structures provide useful design lessons. The review aims to summarize recent developments in responsive photonic crystal structures, focusing on design, fabrication, and application strategies. It discusses design principles, fabrication methods, and application strategies, including optical switches and chemical/biological sensors. Self‑assembly methods lower cost and increase efficiency compared to microfabrication, and emerging techniques such as spin coating, magnetic, and flow‑induced assembly show promise for overcoming current challenges.

Abstract

This Review summarizes recent developments in the field of responsive photonic crystal structures, including principles for design and fabrication and many strategies for applications, for example as optical switches or chemical and biological sensors. A number of fabrication methods are now available to realize responsive photonic structures, the majority of which rely on self-assembly processes to achieve ordering. Compared with microfabrication techniques, self-assembly approaches have lower processing costs and higher production efficiency, however, major efforts are still needed to further develop such approaches. In fact, some emerging techniques such as spin coating, magnetic assembly, and flow-induced self-assembly have already shown great promise in overcoming current challenges. When designing new systems with improved performance, it is always helpful to bear in mind the lessons learnt from natural photonic structures.