Polymer indicators are autonomous responsive materials that provide an optical signal of a specific exposure in time. This review describes the different polymer systems utilized to obtain indicators based on structural color. Structural color originates from the interaction of light with a periodic nanostructured polymer which causes a specific wavelength to be reflected. This reflected light can be used for fabricating battery-free indicators that show visible structural color changes upon exposure to a stimulus or analyte. In this review, the typical structural color response types categorized by stimulus are discussed and compared. Furthermore, the steps toward possible applications of optical indicators based on structural colored polymers are outlined.
IntroductionStructural colored polymers have many applications as autonomous responsive photonic systems of which optical indicators are an often-overlooked subset that are able to offer applications as information carriers and tracking systems. [1] Optical indicators address the increasing societal need to monitor and track exposure conditions for healthcare, nutrition, safety, and transport. [2] In healthcare, the need for cheap, simple indicator systems that can be used at home is indisputable and is still an evolving research area. For consumable products such as food, sensing and tracking are imperative operations to manage and monitor conditions during storage and transport. This provides a better guarantee for food quality and safety. [3] For nonperishable,