A 2D material–based transparent hydrogel with engineerable interference colours

Baofu Ding, Pengyuan Zeng, Ziyang Huang, Lixin Dai, Tianshu Lan, Hao Xu, Yikun Pan, Yuting Luo, Qiangmin Yu, Hui-Ming Cheng and Bilu Liu ()
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Baofu Ding: Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University
Pengyuan Zeng: Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University
Ziyang Huang: Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University
Lixin Dai: Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University
Tianshu Lan: Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University
Hao Xu: Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University
Yikun Pan: Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University
Yuting Luo: Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University
Qiangmin Yu: Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University
Hui-Ming Cheng: Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University
Bilu Liu: Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Institute of Materials Research, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Transparent hydrogels are key materials for many applications, such as contact lens, imperceptible soft robotics and invisible wearable devices. Introducing large and engineerable optical anisotropy offers great prospect for endowing them with extra birefringence-based functions and exploiting their applications in see-through flexible polarization optics. However, existing transparent hydrogels suffer from limitation of low and/or non-fine engineerable birefringence. Here, we invent a transparent magneto-birefringence hydrogel with large and finely engineerable optical anisotropy. The large optical anisotropy factor of the embedded magnetic two-dimensional material gives rise to the large magneto-birefringence of the hydrogel in the transparent condition of ultra-low concentration, which is several orders of magnitude larger than usual transparent magnetic hydrogels. High transparency, large and tunable optical anisotropy cooperatively permit the magnetic patterning of interference colours in the hydrogel. The hydrogel also shows mechanochromic and thermochromic property. Our finding provides an entry point for applying hydrogel in optical anisotropy and colour centred fields, with several proof-of-concept applications been demonstrated.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26587-z

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