Recent progress in artificial structural colors and their applications in fibers and textiles

Structural colors have been regarded as an ideal alternative to pigments. They are generated by the interaction between the micro/nano structure of the material surface and the incident light. In this review, preparation methods and applications of structural colored fibers and textiles were introduced.

Abstract

Structural colors have been regarded as an ideal alternative to pigments because of the advantages of environmental friendliness, resistance to fading, especially in the fields of textile dyeing and printing, which is highly polluted in traditional ways and needs to be upgraded. They are generated by the interaction between the micro/nano structure of the material surface and the incident light, which is closely related to the sizes and periods of the structures. Based on different nano arrangements, the structures can be roughly divided into photonic crystals and non-photonic crystals. In this review, we summarized recent research progress in structural coloration of fibers and textiles. Learning from nature, researchers proposed various methods to fabricate biomimetic structural colors, and the applications of structural colored fibers and textiles were extended. The challenges and perspectives were also presented. Hopefully, reference for the design and preparation of structural color-based textiles can be inspired.

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