The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Structural color, originating from photonic bandgaps in periodically arranged nanostructures, has attracted growing interest as a platform for tunable photonic systems. Among various candidates, chiral liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs) stand out for their vivid reflection, dynamic wavelength tunability, and mechanical flexibility, enabled by the self-assembled helical alignment of liquid crystal molecules within an elastic network. Here, recent advances in dynamic structural color control using CLCEs are presented, with a focus on real-time and reversible wavelength tuning. Key strategies include the integration of electroactive actuators, multimodal deformation schemes, and heterogeneous material configurations for simultaneous multi-color tuning. These developments enhance the functionality of CLCEs and position them as promising materials for next-generation applications such as adaptive displays, wearable sensors, and reconfigurable photonic surfaces.