液晶エラス卜マーフイルムの光誘起屈曲現象とチューナブルフォ卜ニック結晶への応用

摘要

Tunable photonic crystals exhibit the unique optical properties as the peak wavelength of reflected light can be controlled by external stimuli. An inverse opal structure containing periodically porous lattice is one of the most popular photonic crystals and possesses a high mechanical stability. It is possible to form a freestanding photonic crystal film and control peak wavelength of reflected light by deformation of the inverse opal structure. Recently, we introduced flexible liquid-crystalline polymers with an azobenzene exhibiting reversible expansion and shrinkage under external stimuli to a photonic crystal with inverse opal structure. In this paper, we report the fabrication process of tunable photonic crystal films and the results of their photo-, mechano- and thermo-stimuli responsive behavior. The peak wavelength of reflected light from a bilayer film was reversibly shifted due to the shape change of inverse opal structure induced by the deformation of the bilayer film.