Paintable soft photonic architectures featuring multi-stable light-actuation.

ABSTRACT: Dynamic photoprogramming of paintable liquid crystal photonic devices with multi-stability shows practical application in smart soft materials and responsive optics. However, there exist three key challenges that limit their development: achieving precise paintability with controllable viscosity and resolution, maintaining well-ordered liquid crystal photonic structures, and enabling multi-stable photoresponsive behavior. Here, we address these limitations by incorporating an intrinsic photoswitch into a cellulose-based liquid crystal system, further constructing a unique paintable helical photonic architecture featuring both multi-stability and dynamic light-actuation. The intrinsic chiral photoswitch enables multi-stable modulation of helical pitch, while optimized viscosity restrains th

SUBMITTER: Hu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12756290 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature