Thermoresponsive hydrogel photonic crystals by three-dimensional holographic lithography

Abstract

Well-defined three dimensional photonic crystals (PCs) of hydrogels are fabricated by prism holographic lithography over large areas. The hydrogel PCs, swollen in the humidity of air, show a tunable optical stop-band in response to temperature. The thermoresponsive behavior is caused by viscoelastic deformation upon temperature change, which is investigated by capturing the structure with silica.