Photoresponsive and Polarization‐Sensitive Structural Colors from Cellulose/Liquid Crystal Nanophotonic Structures

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) possess the ability to form helical periodic structures that generate structural colors. Due helicity, such self-assembled cellulose preferentially reflect left-handed circularly polarized light of certain colors, while they remain transparent right-handed light. This study shows combination with a liquid crystal enables modulation optical response obtain reflection both handedness but reversed spectral profiles. As result, nanophotonic systems provide vibrant colors are tunable via incident polarization. The results attributed aligning on CNC/glucose film, birefringent layer twists polarization before interaction chiral nanocomposite. Using photoresponsive crystal, this effect can further be turned off by exposure UV light, which switches nematic into nonbirefringent isotropic phase. highlights potential hybrid create yet advanced and polarization-tunable nanophotonics.