title: Structural Color for Additive Manufacturing: 3D-Printed Photonic Crystals from Block Copolymers.
abstract: The incorporation of structural color into 3D printed parts is reported, presenting an alternative to the need for pigments or dyes for colored parts produced through additive manufacturing. Thermoplastic build materials composed of dendritic block copolymers were designed, synthesized, and used to additively manufacture plastic parts exhibiting structural color. The reflection properties of the photonic crystals arise from the periodic nanostructure formed through block copolymer self-assembly during polymer processing. The wavelength of reflected light could be tuned across the visible spectrum by synthetically controlling the block copolymer molecular weight and manufacture parts that reflected violet, green, or orange light with the capacity to serve as selective optical filters and light guides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
authors.forename: Bret M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
authors.forename: Tracy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: French
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
authors.forename: Ryan M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
authors.forename: Blaine G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
authors.forename: Garret M
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2451-7090
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Miyake
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002080:Butterflies / Q000737:chemistry; D003116:Color; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D066192:Manufacturing Industry; D015394:Molecular Structure; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D017785:Photons; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D066330:Printing, Three-Dimensional
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D011108:Polymers
keywords: additive manufacturing; block copolymers; photonic crystals; self-assembly; structural color