Additive Manufacturing of Bioinspired Structural-Color Materials

Structural color is ubiquitous in nature and biological systems, and synthetic structural-color materials have been considered as a more durable substitute for traditional pigments. Recent advancements in the additive manufacturing of exquisite photonic objects have enabled the preparation of structurally colored materials with customized properties. Herein, an up-to-date review about additive manufacturing of bioinspired structural-color materials is presented. This review begins with an overview of the direct ink writing of colloidal crystals, chiral liquid crystals, cellulose nanocrystals, and block copolymers. Then, significant advances in inkjet printing strategy are showcased, including inkjet printing of colloidal crystals and cellulose nanocrystals, inkjet printing inks on photonic polymer coatings, and inkjet printing based on total internal reflections. The third section focuses on the recent advances in other additive manufacturing methods, including digital light processing, two-photon lithography, and fused deposition modeling. This review summarizes a perspective on potential opportunities, challenges, and future prospects encountered by advanced printing technology and functional structural-color materials.