Dual-Tunable Structural Colors from Liquid-Infused Aerogels

Herein, dual-tunable structural colors generated from liquid-infused, robust silsesquioxane aerogels due to the specific light scattering by the aerogel skeleton in liquids with matching refractive indices, are reported. The colors are tunable by changing the temperature and the composition of the liquid that roots from the coherence between the colors and the refractive index of the infused liquid. The finding provides new insights and tools for constructing structural colors and light management. It also opens applications of stimuli-responsive smart windows, displays, and sensors. Taking advantage of the penetrable light of selected wavelength, the 3D structures of aerogel skeletons are reconstructed by an optical method, which provides a facile alternative approach to characterizing aerogel structure and will be instrumental to the understanding of the relationship between skeleton structure and mechanical property of porous 3D structures.
QC 20200630