Deconvoluting the Optical Response of Biocompatible Photonic Pigments

To unlock the widespread use of block copolymers as photonic pigments, there is an urgent need to consider their environmental impact (cf. microplastic pollution). Here we show how inverse glass architecture can enable biocompatible bottlebrush (BBCPs), which otherwise lack refractive index contrast needed for a strong response. A library pigments produced from poly(norbornene-graft-polycaprolactone)-block-poly(norbornene-graft-polyethylene glycol), with color tuned via either BBCP molecular weight or processing temperature upon microparticle fabrication. The structure–optic relationship between 3D porous morphology microparticles and complex optical response revealed by both analytical scattering model finite-difference time domain (FDTD) simulations. Combined, this allows strategies enhance purity be proposed realized our system.