To address technical bottlenecks associated with complex fabrication processes and extended manufacturing duration of conventional three-layer cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) structures, photolithography and a chiral molecular precision diffusion strategy were integrated to prepare monolayer color-reflective photonic display panels. Moreover, by developing monolayer-encapsulated CLC photonic displays, we effectively tackled key technical problems encompassing fine microstructure design, isolated RGB pixel fabrication, and high-precision color tuning of CLC. It is notable that the electric-field-driven CLC switching process was realized through red, green, and blue pixel unit color superposition. The fabricated monolayer color display possesses electric-field-regulated pattern switching functionality. Furthermore, a multimode anticounterfeiting model was successfully constructed based on the Bragg selective reflection characteristics of CLC. Within the model, the original matrix pattern presents varied visual information with obvious differences in color and brightness under varying illumination. Combining specific light source illumination with the matrix encoding table facilitates efficient decoding of encrypted information, significantly boosting CLC anticounterfeiting performance.

Currently, the fabrication of single-layer encapsulated full-color RGB pixelated displays remains confronted with substantial challenges, particularly the lack of effective preparation strategies and insufficiently systematic development of liquid crystal (LC) materials. In this work, a combination of photolithography and precise chiral molecular diffusion was employed to successfully construct single-layer reflective photonic color display panels. The key advances include the rational selection of optimized acrylic monomers, precise control over photoresist-monomer ratios, RGB panel fabrication, and the assembly of prototype devices for color display verification. Notably, by regulating the color superposition of RGB stripe units, we demonstrate an electrically controllable cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) display mechanism that enables generating gradient display patterns within a monolayer structure. Furthermore, a multimode anti-counterfeiting device was further fabricated by incorporating fluorescent particles into the CLC system and utilizing its structural color reflection characteristics. The device presents vivid structural colors under visible light illumination, while revealing hidden fluorescent encrypted information under ultraviolet excitation. Such anti-counterfeiting features are concealed beneath bright reflective patterns, thereby greatly increasing the difficulty of counterfeiting and replication. By integrating reflective and fluorescent dual-modal mechanisms, this work validates the feasibility of high-security dual-mode anti-counterfeiting and provides new directions for the development of advanced anti-counterfeiting labels and dual-functional display technologies.

Conventional polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) systems suffer from restricted information dimensionality and inadequate environmental adaptability. To address these issues, a performance-optimized PDLC composite was fabricated in this study by incorporating BDDA/DFMA monomers and Cs0.33WO3 NPs. The results show that the electro-optical performance has been significantly improved, with a contrast ratio of 130.4, a drive voltage of 22.48 V, and a response time of 49.2 ms. Moreover, a dual mode device incorporating patterned electrodes and functional zoning was fabricated by combining laser etching with screen printing. Application of an electric field enables reversible "scattering to transparent" switching in the visible region. Under infrared excitation, multilevel authentication is achieved through thermal contrast variation (Delta T approximate to 8.7 degrees C) arising from nanoparticle doped zones, thereby allowing dynamically encrypted information display. Consequently, the developed Cs0.33WO3 NPs integrated PDLC composite exhibits multi-stimuli-responsiveness, excellent environmental stability, and versatile optical control, offering a viable design strategy for next generation smart display and high security anti-counterfeiting technologies.

Liquid crystal structures with tunable optical characteristics in the visible and near-infrared regions show great potential for smart windows and anti-counterfeiting displays. However, the modulation capability of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) is often limited by static and monochromatic output in dual-band applications, while polymer-stabilized liquid crystal (PSLC) typically suffer from low contrast during textural transitions. In this work, we propose a novel bilayer composite comprising PDLC and PSLC layers that enables continuously tunable, non-binary color output by leveraging the electric-field response of liquid crystals and color superposition effects. The system operates through voltage-controlled transmittance modulation of the PDLC layer, which dynamically mixes green scattering from the PDLC with red Bragg reflection from the PSLC. Precise control over the optical mixing ratio allows for continuous spectral tuning across intermediate hues with high fidelity. Furthermore, by modifying the polymerization process, we developed a dual-layer configuration that extends structural color reflection into the near-infrared region, enhancing the infrared reflectance of the PSLC layer. This device achieves multicolor pattern display in a simple liquid crystal cell with thermal regulation capability. The decoupled bilayer architecture overcomes the intrinsic monochromatic limitation of conventional PDLC, establishing a new paradigm for programmable multicolor smart windows and visible/infrared anti-counterfeiting technologies.

Infrared-responsive anti-counterfeiting technologies remain underexplored, yet their inherent invisibility and compatibility with machine-based authentication make them highly attractive for next-generation high-security applications. Current infrared anti-counterfeiting strategies frequently suffer from fixed pattern formats, low encoding complexity, and a lack of dynamic tunability, limiting their suitability for advanced encryption scenarios. Here, a highly tunable-transmittance-range bilayer hyper-reflective polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal (PSCLC) film device that supports reconfigurable infrared pattern switching is reported. By tailoring the concentrations of the reactive mesogen RM257 and the tetra-thiol cross-linker pentaerythritol tetrakis(3mercaptopropionate) within a cholesteric host exhibiting infrared-selective reflection, precise voltagecontrolled texture transitions have been achieved. Inserting a 1.9 mu m polyethylene terephthalate interlayer yields a bilayer architecture with opposite helicities, enabling simultaneous reflection of left- and right-circularly polarized light and a peak reflectance of approximately 90 %. The device exhibits robust AC-driven switching behavior with a transmittance contrast of approximately 80 % between planar and homeotropic states. When integrated with laser-etched electrode designs, the device supports wavelength-selective infrared patterns that can be dynamically encoded and erased under a single operating wavelength, representing the first demonstration of actively switchable infrared information encryption and anti-counterfeiting in PSCLC systems to date.

Currently, the realization of single-layer encapsulated color RGB pixel displays still face significant challenges, including the need for effective and strategic manufacturing methods as well as the development of systematic liquid crystal (LC) materials. Herein, inexpensive single-layer structured color displays are obtained using diffusion cooperative etching strategy. Key advancements include the sequential resolution of pixel structure design, precise color tuning of polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal (PSCLC), preparation of RGB display panels and construction of principle prototypes of color displays. Importantly, the dynamically changing electronically controlled display process of PSCLC is demonstrated by simulating the color stacking of red, green and blue pixel units. The prepared single-layer color displays enable electronically controlled pattern changes. Notably, a multi-mode anti-counterfeiting model is also developed, leveraging the Bragg selective reflection of cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs), which is irradiated by a specific light source and decoded by Matrix-Morse coding. The encrypted information can be decoded according to the Morse code table in combination with light source irradiation at specific wavelengths. Therefore, it significantly enhances the defense capability of CLCs.

Electrochromic polymer dispersed liquid crystal (ECPDLC) materials have attracted significant attention owing to their distinctive visual effect of ammonium ions moving toward the cathode under a DC electric field and forming colored complexes with the benzene rings in the liquid crystals thereby exhibiting reversible color changes. Nevertheless, a formidable challenge persists in augmenting the intricacy and diversity of color alteration to enhance their pattern display and anti-counterfeiting properties. If ECPDLC uses a hybrid liquid crystals, the resulting color will be a superposition of all the single colors produced by each liquid crystal component. In addition, the color change of hybrid liquid crystals containing multiple groups in the presence of an electric field also depends on the type of their terminal groups. In order to increase the complexity and diversity of color variations, a series of sophisticated multi-hued patterned ECPDLC using BHR40110 hybrid liquid crystals and tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) as the main component devices with dual responsiveness to direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) electric fields have been successfully fabricated by integrating indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes, meticulously patterned through a laser etching technique. The realization of intricate multicolor patterned displays and the secure transmission of encrypted anti-counterfeiting information are accomplished by precisely regulating the patterned etching across various regions of the ITO. Consequently, our developed dual-response multicolor ECPDLC devices exhibit multiple operating modes, excellent usability and reversibility, as well as a diverse visual effect, making it a potentially invaluable material for future display and anti-counterfeiting applications.

In recent years, polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) have demonstrated remarkable application potential in the field of display, information encryption and anti-counterfeiting, but they still have the drawbacks of single color change, suboptimal contrast ratio (CR) and simple anti-counterfeiting modes. Herein, novel PDLC films with electro-optical dual-responsive fluorescence and phosphorescence are prepared to achieve multicolor pattern display and quadruple information encryption by using the strategy of combining phosphorescence and fluorescence with electrically responsive PDLC. The phosphorescent green (PG) and phosphorescent blue (PB) doped PDLC has high CR of 164 and 226. The color pattern display of PDLC is achieved by the electro-optical synergy effect of increasing or decreasing the excitation probability of the light emitting molecules through multiple scattering or transmission of ultraviolet (UV) light by electrically responsive PDLC. Fluorescent red (FLR) particles were incorporated into the PDLC films to augment the anti-counterfeiting ability of PDLC. Various shapes of PDLC films were prepared utilizing screen-printing method, which can manifest multiple optical states of scattered (white), fluorescent (red), and phosphorescent (green and blue) colors under natural light, UV light, and UV light-off, respectively. Furthermore, a sophisticated PDLC (static + dynamic) anti-counterfeiting pattern with quadruple information encryption has been developed by taking advantage of the differences in the afterglow times of different concentrations and types of phosphorescent materials. The PDLC films additionally demonstrate utility in UV pattern printing. In conclusion, this work establishes a solid foundation for the development of future PDLC display, information encryption and anti-counterfeiting materials.

The bilayer broadband reflective films with a PSCLC-PVA-PSCLC structure were achieved by stacking two monolayer polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal (PSCLC) films with different reflection centers. Ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation in the thickness direction of the broadband reflective film induced an intensity gradient, leading to a pitch gradient distribution. By fine-tuning the substance ratios and polymerization conditions, the performance of the bilayer broadband reflective film was significantly optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the reflective bandwidth (A2) of the bilayer film was expanded by approximately 80 % compared to the original sample. The preparation of these bilayer broadband reflective films demonstrates significant potential for applications in the field of anti-infrared devices, owing to their excellent infrared (IR) shielding effect.

Bacterial infections are an escalating global concern, necessitating the development of innovative antibacterial strategies. However, traditional antibacterial materials often encounter limitations due to passive diffusion, which results in inadequate or even ineffective interactions with bacteria. In this study, we synthesized a silverloaded asymmetrical jellyfish-like mesoporous polydopamine (PDA-NH2@Ag) nanocomposite as an active antibacterial nanomotor. Surface modification was employed to enhance the stability of the PDA carrier and facilitate precise control over particle size, resulting in a narrowly distributed population of small silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The PDA-NH2@Ag nanomotors demonstrate a high photothermal conversion efficiency (eta) of 49.65% and exhibit directional, rapid motion upon NIR light irradiation. Moreover, these nanomotors show remarkable antibacterial efficacy, attributed to synergistic effects of Ag+ release, nanomotor motion, and the photothermal effect. A concentration-dependent antibacterial mechanism was obtained through a series of qualitative and quantitative analyses. The PDA-NH2@Ag nanomotors display distinct factors influencing antibacterial activity at varying concentrations under NIR irradiation. Furthermore, the PDA-NH2@Ag composite exhibits potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, while demonstrating good biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity toward cells. The design and fabrication of concentrationdependent PDA-NH2@Ag nanomotors offer an innovative approach to advancing synergistic antibacterial therapies based on photothermal nanomotors.

Cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) are photonic materials with a periodic helical structure capable of selectively reflecting light in response to environmental stimuli. However, achieving broadband color tunability, multi-field actuation, and independent functional integration within a single CLC-based material remains a persistent challenge. Herein, novel polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals (PSCLCs) devices with dual response of heat and electricity are prepared to achieve multicolor pattern display and information encryption by using the strategy of combining photoresists with heat-absorbing ability and electrically responsive PSCLCs. By employing an electrospinning-assisted spray-coating technique, the material demonstrates high potential for patterned displays and advanced anti-counterfeiting applications. Systematic investigation of crosslinking density and chiral dopant concentration reveals their critical roles in governing thermochromic behavior, enabling finely tunable, temperature-induced spectral transitions across red, green, and blue wavelengths. Incorporation of the trifluoro aromatic compound (3F3) significantly enhances red-shift amplitude, raising the color-transition threshold from 83.2( degrees)C to 102.8(degrees)C. Moreover, the thermal absorption and release properties of the sprayed photoresist matrix contribute to localized thermal management, leveraging internal temperature differences to achieve selective pattern manifestation within the substrate. Temperature-sensitive patterns are verified through infrared thermal imaging, confirming precise thermal responsiveness. A straightforward method for generating chiral anti-counterfeit number codes is also introduced, offering new pathways for encoding information. The combination of broadband thermochromism and multiscale patterning capability offers a promising platform for next-generation optical anti-counterfeiting, thermal sensing, and information encryption technologies.

The development of multifunctional smart windows with infrared anti-counterfeiting capabilities is a key research priority. However, achieving both high visible light (VIS) transparency and effective near-infrared (NIR) blocking remains a significant challenge. In this study, a multi-field responsive polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal (PSCLC) smart window was successfully prepared. By adjusting the electric field, the smart window enables controlled adjustment of incident VIS and NIR light for temperature control. Optimization of polymerization conditions and nanofiber loading enhanced the bandwidth reflectance from 256 to 507 nm. The smart window employs an optimized drive scheme for coordinated IR modulation via direct current (DC). The copper sulfide (CuS) and antimony tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles were loaded in the PSCLC system using electrostatic spinning technique. The loading of nanoparticles using nanofibers greatly increased the number of nanoparticles compared to direct doping of nanoparticles. Therefore, the nanofibers loaded with nanoparticles greatly enhanced the infrared shielding ability and electrical response of the system. In addition, the enhancement of nanofibers also improves the thermal and electrical durability of the PSCLC smart window, and the controlled distribution of nanofibers results in a highly flexible and reliable infrared anti-counterfeiting smart window. This research provides the development of multifunctional liquid crystal smart windows with infrared light modulation, camouflage and anti-counterfeiting functions.

Due to the growing demand for sustainable and comfortable living environments, smart windows that combine energy efficiency and privacy protection are gaining attention in modern building design. In this study, a dual-layer smart window based on polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLC) and polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals (PSCLC) films was developed using a multi-roll molding process. The smart window combines the excellent optical properties of both PDLC and PSCLC, with the PDLC layer providing dynamic light scattering to ensure effective privacy, and the PSCLC layer selectively reflecting near-infrared (NIR) light to improve energy efficiency by reducing heat transfer. The multi-roll molding process ensures a high degree of film uniformity and structural integrity, which facilitates large-scale production. A systematic study of the optical properties, thermal insulation and electro-optical response of dual-layer smart windows was conducted. The results show that the dual-layer design provides excellent NIR shielding performance, fast switching speed and long-term operational stability. Integration of PDLC and PSCLC layers through multi-roll molding technology provides a promising strategy for developing energy-efficient and privacy-preserving smart windows for modern building applications.

Polymer-stabilized liquid crystals (PSLC) represent one of the most sought-after systems in the rapidly evolving field of LC, owing to their myriad applications in smart windows, infrared shielding, optical shutters, and tunable lenses. However, the development of PSLC films doped with nonlinear optical (NLO) materials that exhibit laser attenuation capabilities has proven to be exceptionally challenging. In this study, PSLC films with broadband reflection were fabricated utilizing a nanofiber film loaded with various NLO materials. The nanofiber film fabricated through electrospinning guarantees that the NLO materials can be homogeneously dispersed throughout the film. The combined effects of saturable absorption (SA) and reverse saturable absorption (RSA) are sequentially induced to modulate the nonlinear properties of the system by incorporating two distinct NLO materials. Additionally, in order to attain the optimal non-uniform distribution of the pitch, an extensive range of studies is performed concerning the polymerization temperature, concentration of the polymerizable monomer, and intensity of UV light. Through systematic evaluating of the experimental parameters, the optimal conditions for enhancing the reflection range are identified, resulting in a substantial increase in the reflection range from 256 nm to 956 nm. The prepared PSLC films exhibiting broadband reflection characteristics demonstrate promising potential for various applications, including infrared shielding devices, laser protective coatings, and smart windows. This study provides valuable insights and guidance for advancing the applications of LC and NLO materials.

Nanosilver is an efficient and broad-spectrum antibacterial agent. However, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) antimicrobial materials often face issues such as large Ag particles, easy aggregation without a carrier, and limited scope of motion in solutions. In this study, we designed and fabricated a near-infrared (NIR) light-propelled nanomotor to achieve efficient antibacterial performance. This nanomotor was composed of dendritic porous silica nanoparticles that were first coated with polydopamine and then functionalized with aminopropyl group, and finally loaded with small silver, denoted as DPSNs@PDA-NH2@Ag. The resulting nanomotors exhibited excellent photothermal conversion capability, with a temperature increase of 34 degrees C after 10 min of NIR light irradiation, and demonstrated rapid directional motion under NIR light, attaining a velocity of 5.21 mu m/s and a diffusion coefficient of 4.10 mu m2/s. At a high concentration (200 mu g/mL), the nanomotors achieved antibacterial rates of 100 % against E. coli and 95.14 % against S. aureus after 2 h of incubation under NIR light irradiation, leveraging photothermal therapy (PTT), Ag+ release, and enhanced mobility. In contrast, at a low concentration (20 mu g/mL), extending irradiation time from 5 to 20 min reduced bacterial survival rates from 84.75 % to 40.5 %, primarily due to the combined effects of Ag+ release and motion. Therefore, our developed DPSNs@PDA-NH2@Ag material demonstrates concentration-dependent multimodal antibacterial activity for promising antibacterial applications.

The development of camouflage materials that are adapted to various environmental conditions and actively switch can greatly improve stealth reliability. However, the development of camouflage materials with stimulus-responsive structural colors in conjunction with the electro-optical properties of liquid crystal materials and the ability to actively switch their optical properties under various environmental conditions remains a major challenge. Here, a breakthrough bilayer polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) system integrated with electron-transferring organic compound microcapsules (ETOCM) was presented to achieve multimodal adaptation through synergistic electrical/thermal triggering. The hybrid materials were able to switch between different colors, transparency, and scattering states, and maintained high contrast at lower driving voltages. Among which, PDLC doped with ETOCM is used for thermally triggering the structural color shift without leaking dye; the UV intensity is controlled by a zonal polymerization process to produce a localized pattern that permits stepwise electric-field-driven decryption. In a flexible dual-layer PDLC design with a PVA separator layer, the contrast between different areas exceeds 100 and is easily visible to the naked eye. Unlike previous static or single-stimulus systems, the material can dynamically adapt to environments. By coordinating thermochromic and electro-optic mechanisms, fast multiresponse and dual encryption (thermal/electric field) are achieved. This work bridges the gap between adaptive camouflage and real-world applications, offering transformative potential for information security and wearable technology.

Colored polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films have emerged as a promising technology for smart windows. However, their application has been limited by challenges such as a restricted color range and complex patterning processes. This study introduces a innovative approach that embeds nanofibers containing multiple fluorescent dyes into PDLCs to create vibrant patterns. By incorporating nanofibers with a variety of fluorescent dyes, these PDLCs can display diverse colors under both natural and ultraviolet (UV) light. The nanofiber distribution also enables the formation of distinct embedded images. Notably, the electro-optical performance of PDLC is significantly improved by the incorporation of fluorescent dyes, with the contrast ratio (CR) increasing by over 230 %. Furthermore, environmental tests on the prepared colored PDLCs demonstrated excellent stability, underscoring their substantial potential for practical applications. This method for fabricating multicolored patterned PDLCs is expected to contribute significantly to the advancement of smart window technologies.

ABSTRACTCholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) materials with broadband reflective properties have garnered much attention because of their light‐selective reflective properties. In this study, broadband reflective films were prepared by doping a novel UV absorber, ZIF‐8, into a CLC system to take advantage of the formation of a UV intensity gradient. The effects of ZIF‐8 content, C6M content, UV intensity, UV irradiation time, and diffusion temperature on the reflection bandwidth of the samples were systematically investigated. The reflection bandwidth was expanded from 277 to 429 nm under optimum conditions. In addition, the ZIF‐8‐doped broadband reflective films not only have IR thermal control and UV shielding capabilities but also have the optical property of third‐order nonlinear saturable absorption, which makes the preparation of multifunctional broadband reflective films possible. The above results show that the developed thin films have a broad application prospect in building energy saving, UV protection, and laser protection.

For breaking down the technology barriers of three-layer cholesteric liquid crystals (CLC) such as cumbersome and time consuming, we introduce a facile method involving photolithography, etching synergistic chiral molecule diffusion technology to rapidly fabricate the single-layer colorful reflective photonic display panels. Meanwhile, the appearance of single-layer encapsulated CLC photonic displays resolved the key technical problems, such as the design of fine microstructures, the preparation of separated RGB pixels and the high accuracy colour modulation of CLC. Noteworthily, a dynamic anti-counterfeiting model was developed based on the brilliant angle-dynamically responsive reflective colors. The original CLC digital patterns can display a variety of visualization information with completely different colors and brightness under different light sources and viewing angles. These dynamically responsive messages can be personalized with various combinations of decoding modes. Therefore, the digital photoelectric devices are given the appropriate meanings, and the encrypted information can be decoded with a very high level of security.

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) exhibiting electro-optical (E-O) conversion capabilities facilitate modulation across the ultraviolet (UV) to infrared (IR) spectrum. In this study, a bilayer TiN-PVP/PDLC composite film device was prepared by utilizing commercially available polymers and nanoparticles to enhance UV and IR shielding efficacy. By optimizing the ratio of polymer monomers to liquid crystals within the PDLC layer, superior E-O characteristics were achieved, which were further augmented through the incorporation of a TiN-PVP film. The results showed that the TiN-PVP/PDLC composite films had the maximum contrast ratio when the TiN doping content was 1.5 wt %. Notably, the TiN-PVP/PDLC composite film demonstrated significant thermal and UV shielding performance under IR and UV irradiation, with thermal shielding efficiencies exceeding 60% in both the off and on states, while UV shielding exhibited commendable values of 96.8% and 56.9% in the corresponding states. This facilely synthesized TiN-PVP/PDLC composite film holds significant promise for passive cooling applications in smart window technologies and architectural structures.