Temperature-Responsive, Multicolor-Changing Photonic Polymers.

A new principle is developed to fabricate temperature-responsive, multicolor photonic coatings that are capable of switching color. The coating is composed of a non-cross-linked liquid crystal siloxane-based elastomer that is interpenetrated through an acrylate-based liquid crystal network. Discrete temperature changes induce phase separation and mixing between the siloxane and the acrylate polymers and change the reflective colors correspondingly.