Reversible Electrophoretic Control of Structural Color Using Polymer-Stabilized, Pigment-Impregnated Colloidal Particles

Many organisms have evolved sophisticated structural colors that adapt to input signals in their environment for communication, camouflage, and/or aposematism. However, replicating such an ability remains an engineering and materials challenge. This study presents an approach for building and controlling structural color using pigment-impregnated polystyrene (PS) particles stabilized with a triblock copolymer (TBC). These hybrid particles exhibit robust, reversible color shifts under an applied electric field, by leveraging electrophoretic mobility to modulate structural color. The incorporation of a bioinspired pigment xanthommatin (Xa) into the PS particles expands the color profile of the system, while the TBC provides enhanced reversibility under electrophoretic control. A prototype pixel array with staggered connections further demonstrates the controllable color shift potential in a practical display setup. This work advances the field of adaptive materials by offering a strategy that combines bioinspired coloration principles with electrophoretic control for responsive displays and coatings.