Macromolecules, Vol.54, No.2, 621-628, 2021
Precisely Tunable Humidity Color Indicator Based on Photonic Polymer Films
Photonic crystals (PCs) are attractive for utilization as label-free self-display colorimetric sensors. In this study, one-dimensional (1D) photonic humidity color indicators with color transitions across the whole visible spectral range are reported. For this, we synthesized photo-cross-linkable poly(2-vinylnaphthalene-co-benzophenone acrylate) (P(2VN-co-BPA)) as a high-refractive-index polymer and poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-benzophenone acrylate) (P(4VP-co-BPA)) with its four quaternized derivatives (P4QP-14%, P4QP-25%, P4QP-37%, and P4QP-51%) as low-refractive-index polymers. The 1D PC films are fabricated via the sequential alternating layer deposition of high/low-refractive-index polymers onto a black poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate. Distinct colorimetric humidity detection without an additional label is achieved by controlling the degree of quaternization of the P(4VP-co-BPA) layers and fine-thickness modulation of the P(2VN-co-BPA) and P4QP layers. The films exhibit remarkable color transitions with reliable sensitivity, reversibility, and reproducibility according to changes in the relative humidity (RH), covering the entire visible spectrum (435-756 nm) for 10-90% RH.