Study on the effects of the characteristics of textile substrates on the photonic crystal films and the related structural colors

In order to reveal the relationships between the textile fabric substrates and photonic crystal structures, polyester and silk fabrics in different textures were taken as typical textile substrates to fabricate SiO2 photonic crystal films (PCFs) via gravitational sedimentation self-assembly. The influences of the surface morphology and the basic physical and chemical properties of the fabric substrates on the PCFs as well as the related structural colors were thoroughly investigated by means of optical microscope, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and UV-Vis spectrometer, and the related mechanisms were profoundly analyzed. The results showed that the well-ordered PCFs are easier to be obtained on compact and flat fabric substrates. The textile fibers with less polar groups and water-soluble groups on the macromolecular chains might facilitate colloidal microspheres to fill in the voids and gaps between fibers and yarns during the initial self-assembly process and avail more residual colloidal microspheres in colloidal dispersion to participate in the subsequent self-assembly. In addition, good dimensional stability of the fabric substrates might be beneficial for high quality PCFs formation.