journal article·2026-05-27

Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Microdroplets with Dual-Mode Structural Color Enabling Programmable Thermochromic Displays

Ruotong Li, Haotian Zhao, Fu Jiao, Weifeng Lin, Zhongyu Cai, Saihua Jiang, Mingzhu Liu

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces· Volume 18· Issue 20
Publisher page

Abstract

Cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) microdroplets are promising thermochromic materials due to their ease of fabrication and conformability to various application conditions. Here, we report CLC microdroplets with dual-mode structural color, a large reflection area, and a broad responsive temperature range. A scalable emulsion-templated strategy was employed to fabricate CLC microdroplets with high color uniformity. The thermochromic behavior of these CLC microdroplets can be finely tuned by engineering the components of CLC precursors. The contents of LC porogen 5CB, the host molecules of oligomer RM82-EDDT and monomer RM82, and the amounts of chiral dopant LC756 were systematically investigated to clarify the design space of CLC microdroplets. Using CLC microdroplets with designable color-changing pathways, a camouflage display and a temperature-sensing barcode were fabricated to demonstrate their potential applications. Our work provides a unique platform for thermochromic materials and is promising for thermochromic coatings, biosensing, anticounterfeiting labels, and smart displays.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Liquid Crystal Research Advancements · Electrowetting and Microfluidic Technologies · Advanced Materials and Mechanics

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

State Key Laboratory of Bioinspired Interfacial Materials Science, Bioinspired Science Innovation Center, Hangzhou International Innovation Institute

Beihang University

Key Laboratory of Bioinspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry

Institute of Safety Science and Engineering, School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou 510641, China

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Technique and Equipment for Macromolecular Advanced Manufacturing

South China University of Technology

School of Instrumentation and Optoelectronic Engineering, School of Space and Environment

Funding

Special Project for Research and Development in Key areas of Guangdong Province · Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities · National Natural Science Foundation of China · Hangzhou International Innovation Institute of Beihang University · Guangdong Emergency Management Science and Technology Program · TCL science and technology innovation fund · Guangzhou Basic and Applied Basic Research Special Project

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