Tunable mesoporous bilayer photonic resins with chiral nematic structures and actuator properties.
Chiral nematic structures with different helical pitch from layer to layer are embedded into phenol-formaldehyde bilayer resin composite films using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as templates. Selective removal of CNCs results in mesoporous resins with different pore size and helical pitch between the layers. Consequently, these materials exhibit photonic properties by selectively reflecting lights of two different wavelengths and concomitant actuation properties.
Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada.
Mostofa K
MK
Khan
Wadood Y
WY
Hamad
Mark J
MJ
Maclachlan
actuators; cellulose; liquid crystal templates; mesoporous bilayer polymers; photonics