A modular tool box for photoresponsive cholesteric liquid crystals based on hydrogen-bonded assemblies is reported. By employing 3-azopyridines as photoswitch in cholesteric liquid-crystalline thin films, a fast and reversible blue shift is observed upon irradiation, allowing tuning of the structural color over the whole visible electromagnetic spectrum. Investigations of the materials via X-ray diffraction studies indicate that the blue shift is attributed to the photoinduced destruction of smectic clusters in the cholesteric phase, resulting in a contraction of the helical structure. Unprecedently, the use of a stereolithography 3D printer (SLA) allowed direct transfer of digital information into a multicolor photonic pattern, an important step toward photonic imaging and data storage.
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Article Synopsis
- The text examines phase transitions, specifically martensitic transformations, which involve the movement of atoms in a coherent way to shift from one crystalline structure to another, and highlights recent experimental observations in soft materials.
- The study utilizes direct simulations of a liquid crystalline blue phase (BP II) to analyze the dynamic transition to another phase (BP I) through a machine-learning approach to identify local structures and defects.
- Findings reveal that this transformation can be triggered by the breakup of line defect junctions and can be reversed by changing temperature, shedding light on complex structural changes in ordered materials more broadly.
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