Multi‐Stimulus Responsive Multicolor Electroluminescent PDLCs for Multimodal Anti‐Counterfeiting and Wide Color Gamut Display

Abstract Currently, polymer‐dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) face restricted applications in the display sector due to inherent limitations in achieving full‐color displays. Since alternating current electroluminescence (ACEL) enables color display functionality, integrating PDLCs with ACEL is expected to overcome PDLC's monochromatic limitation. Moreover, it is urgent to resolve the constraints of ACEL intrinsic properties on color output. In this paper, an electroluminescent polymer‐dispersed liquid crystal (ELPDLC) system with multiple responses to voltage, frequency, and ultraviolet (UV) light is presented by introducing advanced EL powder. The combination of PDLC and EL not only achieves PDLC's EL color display and electro‐optical shutter capabilities through frequency modulation, but PDLC also provides a dielectric layer for ACEL devices to prevent high‐voltage breakdown. Furthermore, a multicolor‐emitting ELPDLC device is fabricated by incorporating novel dimming powder with varying mass fractions into the EL layer, leveraging combined photoluminescence and EL principles. Sophisticated and secure anti‐counterfeiting strategies are developed using ACELs and PDLCs exhibiting color variation in response to voltage, temperature, frequency, and UV light. Additionally, various pattern displays with a wide color gamut can be achieved by combining ELPDLC with laser etching and screen printing techniques. ELPDLC demonstrates significant potential in future anti‐counterfeiting and display devices.