1. Extending Polymer Opal Structural Color Properties into the Near-Infrared
- Author
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Giselle Rosetta, Matthew Gunn, John J. Tomes, Mike Butters, and Chris E. Finlayson
- Subjects
photonic crystals ,near-infrared spectroscopy ,polymer composites ,micro-particles ,thin-film coatings ,Physics ,QC1-999 ,Microscopy ,QH201-278.5 ,Microbiology ,QR1-502 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
We report the fabrication and characterisation of near-IR reflecting films and coatings based on shear-assembled crystalline ensembles of polymer composite microspheres, also known as “polymer opals”. Extension of the emulsion polymerisation techniques for synthesis of tractable larger core-interlayer-shell (CIS) particles, of up to half a micron diameter, facilitates the engineering and processing of thin-film synthetic opals, with a tunable photonic stopband spanning an extended spectral range of λ ≈ 700–1600 nm. Samples exhibit strong “scattering cone” interactions, with considerable angular dependence and angle tuning possible, as measured with a goniometric technique. These intense optical resonances in the near-IR, particularly within the important region around λ ~ 800 nm, combined with an appreciable translucency within the visible light spectrum, is indicative of the potential applications in coatings technologies and solar cells.
- Published
- 2024
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