Meng Zhipeng, Miao Senlin, Liu Yukun, Li Yalin, Ma Yujie, Luo Wenke, Huang Haofei
Research Institute of Clean Chemical Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255049, P. R. China.
Mater Horiz. 2025 Oct 13;12(20):8380-8408. doi: 10.1039/d5mh00768b.
Photonic crystals (PCs), a class of advanced optical metamaterials, have garnered considerable attention in the scientific community due to their versatile structural configurations and precisely tunable photonic stop band (PSB) properties. Unlike traditional stimuli-responsive PCs, PC-based structural color switches exhibit exceptional capabilities in modulating between colored and non-colored states in response to external stimuli, offering significant potential for advanced optical applications. Despite growing interest in this field, systematic reviews comprehensively addressing the fundamental mechanisms governing structural color switching and their practical implementation remain scarce. This review systematically classifies color-changing strategies of PC-based structural color switches into four fundamental approaches, including the modulation of ordered/disordered state transitions, PSB position modulation, refractive index matching modulation, and optical path direction modulation. By establishing a basic mechanistic analysis framework, we comprehensively summarize specific scientific research practices of PC-based structural color switches under various stimulus-responsive behaviors, including responses to electric fields, magnetic fields, solvents, temperature, light, viewing angles, and stress. Then, the practical applications of these systems in sensors, anti-counterfeiting, and display are thoroughly discussed. Finally, we address the current challenges and prospects in this field, proposing several potential functional architectures and promising applications. PC-based structural color switches are poised to serve as a transformative technology, enabling breakthroughs across multiple scientific disciplines and catalyzing innovation in various industrial sectors.
光子晶体（PCs）是一类先进的光学超材料，因其多样的结构构型和精确可调的光子禁带（PSB）特性而在科学界备受关注。与传统的刺激响应型光子晶体不同，基于光子晶体的结构色开关在响应外部刺激时，具有在有色和无色状态之间进行调制的卓越能力，为先进光学应用提供了巨大潜力。尽管该领域的关注度不断提高，但全面阐述结构色开关的基本机制及其实际应用的系统综述仍然匮乏。本综述将基于光子晶体的结构色开关的变色策略系统地分为四种基本方法，包括有序/无序状态转变的调制、光子禁带位置调制、折射率匹配调制和光路方向调制。通过建立一个基本的机理分析框架，我们全面总结了基于光子晶体的结构色开关在各种刺激响应行为下的具体科学研究实践，包括对电场、磁场、溶剂、温度、光、视角和应力的响应。然后，深入讨论了这些系统在传感器、防伪和显示方面的实际应用。最后，我们阐述了该领域当前面临的挑战和前景，提出了几种潜在的功能架构和有前景的应用。基于光子晶体的结构色开关有望成为一种变革性技术，推动多个科学学科取得突破，并催化各工业领域的创新。
