Microfluidic-directed magnetic controlling supraballs with multi-responsive anisotropic photonic crystal structures

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2020.11.063

Abstract

Abstract:

The design and fabrication of anisotropic photonic crystal supraballs with multiple responses are highly desirable for versatile environmental sensing and flexible displaying. Herein, we developed an available strategy to construct a series of multi-responsive magnetic colloidal photonic crystal (CPC) supraballs with Janus and molecular-analogue structures. Initially, the humidity and temperature sensitive CPC supraballs were obtained via immobilization of polyacrylamide (PAM) and polyisopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM) hydrogels into the CPC structure, respectively, and CdTe/ZnS quantum dots endow the supraballs fluorescent signal under UV light. Furthermore, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) were served as a magnetic hemisphere to construct CPC Janus supraballs which can be subsequently assembled into three different molecular-shaped cluster particles that integrate more response types via Fe₃O₄ NPs hemisphere coalescence to a magnetic coupling center, recognizing multiple responses simultaneously that correspond the environmental altering. In addition, 2D polychromatic patterns with sensitive CPC pixels printed by automatic printing system were demonstrated, which could monitor the changes of temperature and humidity. The multi-responsive magnetic controlling supraballs and 2D patterns reveal the promising applications in environmental sensing, anti-counterfeiting and displaying.

Key words: Photonic crystal, Multiple responses, Optical sensing, Supraballs, Microfluidics, Magnetic control

Lu-Wei Hao, Ji-Dong Liu, Qing Li, Ren-Kun Qing, Yun-Ya He, Jiazhuang Guo, Ge Li, Liangliang Zhu, Chen Xu, Su Chen. Microfluidic-directed magnetic controlling supraballs with multi-responsive anisotropic photonic crystal structures[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2021, 81: 203-211.

Figures/Tables 7

Fig. 1. (a) Synthesis of stable core/shell monodisperse PS@poly(BA-co-AA) CPC via emulsion polymerization. (b) Schematic illustration of the microfluidic fabrication of multi-responsive CPC supraballs and cluster particles. (c) Schematic of preparing the 2D multi-responsive pattern with structural color and red fluorescence via an automatic printing system.

Fig. 2. (a) SEM image of as-prepared pure PS@poly(BA-co-AA) NPs and polydispersity indices of the latex NPs: 0.019; (b) TEM image of as-prepared pure PS@poly(BA-co-AA) NPs; (c) Optical microphograph and SEM image of pure PS@poly(BA-co-AA) supraballs; (d) SEM top-view image of pure PS@poly(BA-co-AA) supraballs.

Fig. 3. (a) SEM image of the humidity sensitive supraballs after polymerization. (b) FT-IR spectra of PS@poly(BA-co-AA) (black), pure PAM (red) and humidity sensitive supraballs (blue). (c) Diameter and (d) reflection spectra of humidity sensitive supraballs under the different RH. (e) Schematic diagram of the color changing mechanism of humidity sensitive supraballs and (f) photographs of humidity sensitive supraballs under the RH of 25, 60, 75, 90 and 100 % (scale bar =100 μm).

Fig. 4. (a) SEM image of temperature sensitive supraballs after polymerization. (b) FT-IR spectra of PS@poly(BA-co-AA) (black), pure PNIPAM (red) and temperature-sensitive supraballs (blue). (c) Diameter and (d) reflection spectra of temperature sensitive supraballs under the different temperature. (e) Schematic diagram of the color changing mechanism of temperature sensitive supraballs and (f) photographs of temperature sensitive supraballs under the temperature of 22, 32, 36 and 45 °C (scale bar =100 μm).

Fig. 5. (a) TEM image of CdTe/ZnS QDs/PS@poly(BA-co-AA) CPC hybrid supraballs. (b) UV-vis absorption and PL spectra of QDs hybrid supraballs. (c) Fluorescent micrograph of QDs/CPC hybrid supraballs. (d) TGA curves of the supraballs without (curve 1, black) and with CdTe/ZnS QDs (curve 2, red) loading.

Fig. 6. (a) Schematic of multi-responsive supraball via materials and structures. (b-d) Optical images of four humidity sensitive magnetic supraballs before and after RH and temperature changes of each stage. (scale bar: 200 μm). (e) Fluorescent images of linear CPC cluster supraballs under UV light. (f) Optical images of four humidity sensitive supraballs in different configurations of AB 1, AB2, AB3 and AB4 before and after RH change (scale bar: 200 μm). (g) Optical images of rotational motion of a Janus supraball induced by a rotating magnet under an external magnetic field. (h) Movement of Janus supraballs in a capillary tube by an additional magnet at different times. (i) Optical photographs of Janus supraballs faceplate display under the magnetic field, RH changing and UV light irradiation.

Fig. 7. (a) Schematic of the 2D multi-responsive pattern preparation via automatic printing system. Optical images of “smiley face” at the conditions of (b) 22 °C, RH = 25 %, (c) 22 °C, RH = 60 % and (d) 32 °C, RH = 60 %. (e) Fluorescent image under UV light. (f) Optical and fluorescent images of “an arrow through the heart” pattern in visible light and UV light.

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