Magnetically responsive photonic nanostructures: making color using magnets

摘要

Photonic nanostructures with widely, rapidly and reversibly tunable diffraction in the visible and near-infrared spectrum can be created through a magnetic field assisted assembly strategy. We first describe the mechanism for the formation of dynamic photonic chains and the tuning of the diffraction colors using an external magnetic field. Then we discuss the fixation of photonic chains in a solid polymer matrix through combining instant magnetic assembly with a rapid UV polymerization process which allows us to confirm the chaining structures. Finally, we demonstrate several applications of magnetically tunable photonic nanostructures for security and sensing devices, high resolution patterning of multiple structural colors.