Printable and Rewritable Full Block Copolymer Structural Color

Abstract

Structural colors (SCs) of photonic crystals (PCs) arise from selective constructive interference of incident light. Here, an ink-jet printable and rewritable block copolymer (BCP) SC display is demonstrated, which can be quickly written and erased over 50 times with resolution nearly equivalent to that obtained with a commercial office ink-jet printer. Moreover, the writing process employs an easily modified printer for position- and concentration-controlled deposition of a single, colorless, water-based ink containing a reversible crosslinking agent, ammonium persulfate. Deposition of the ink onto a self-assembled BCP PC film comprising a 1D stack of alternating layers enables differential swelling of the written BCP film and produces a full-colored SC display of characters and images. Furthermore, the information can be readily erased and the system can be reset by application of hydrogen bromide. Subsequently, new information can be rewritten, resulting in a chemically rewritable BCP SC display.