A PSCLC Pattern Prepared Based on Handedness Inversion for Anti‐counterfeiting

Abstract

Handedness inversion has been widely studied in supramolecular chemistry and material sciences. Herein, a photoisomerizable chiral dopant was synthesized, which could induce the formation of a cholesteric phase with right‐handedness. The Bragg reflection band of the cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) mixture shifted to the long wavelength with extending 365 nm UV light irradiation time. Based on this photochromic property, a colourful polymer‐stabilized CLC (PSCLC) film was prepared using a grayscale mask. A handedness reversible CLC mixture was prepared using a mixture of this chiral dopant and S5011. With extending the UV light irradiation time, the handedness of the CLC mixture changed from right‐ to left‐handedness. A patterned PSCLC film was prepared using this CLC mixture. Complementary images were observed under right‐ and left‐handedness circularly polarized lights. The results shown here not only give us a better understanding the competition between photopolymerization and photoisomerization, but also lay the foundations for decoration and anti‐counterfeiting.