Invisible photonic patterns (IPPs) are photonic materials
that
can display hidden patterns under external stimulation and are attractive
in anti-counterfeiting devices and information storage. In this work,
we report a solvent-responsive invisible photonic pattern (SRIPP)
with high contrast by polymerizing two monomers of acrylamide (AAm)
and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) with different solubility
parameters in different regions of poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate)
photonic gels. The two regions with different solvent responsiveness
can shrink and swell in the same environment, thus causing the colors
of different regions of photonic gel to shift in opposite directions
from the initial state. As a result, the contrast of photonic patterns
is significantly improved, increasing naked-eye visualization. In
addition, by introducing fluorescent substances into the photonic
gel and adjusting the photonic band gap (PBG) of photonic gels, we
realize the regulation of fluorescence emission and display of fluorescence
patterns by utilizing different PBGs on the SRIPP. Dynamic solvent
responsiveness patterns and fluorescence patterns are integrated into
a photonic gel, showing great potential in information storage and
multiple-mode anti-counterfeiting applications.
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