Heat-resistant PMMA photonic crystal films with bright structural color

• Heat-resistant PMMA photonic crystal films were obtained.
• Heat resistance was remarkably improved by introducing methacrylic acid.
• The materials are cheap and the preparation process is simple.
• The PMMA photonic crystal films have bright structural color.

Weak heat resistance of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) photonic crystal films has been the major challenge for its applications in displays or paints. This paper presents heat-resistant PMMA photonic crystal films with a bright structural color that are produced by using a simple preparation strategy. In this strategy, the heat resistance was controlled and remarkably improved by introducing methacrylic acid as comonomer together with methyl methacrylate. The mechanism of improving heat resistance was characterized by using scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Three-dimensional ordered structures are produced, directly forming photonic crystal films that are highly heat-resistant and have a bright structural color. These two properties are significant for applications in displays or paints.

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