Stabilized director buckling patterns in nematic elastomers and their dynamic optical effects

Abstract Pearlescence and iridescence, which are a class of light diffusion effects that exhibit sharp viewing-angle-dependent brightness colors, important material properties for notification purposes lighting devices. Here we report elastomeric materials with self-organized periodic birefringent patterns these optical effects, additional dynamic reversible tunability. A stack micron-thick layers, each has nematic director tilted from the layer normal in different direction, assembles birefringence-pattern-based anisotropic diffuser liquid-crystal elastomer. The pattern is formed after buckling induced by uniaxial thermal shrinkage, associated rotation an initially uniform state. can be stabilized secondary crosslinking. Upon deformation or increasing temperature, colors reversibly fades owing to diminishing via strain-induced alignment randomization birefringence, respectively. Such elastomers tunable birefringence used reconfigurable elements strain/temperature detection form films, tapes, rods, fibers.