In
this study, a nanoimprinting method was introduced to fabricate
polycarbonate films with transparent and flexible photonic crystal
(FPC) structures. The fabricated flexible polymer films display a
full-color grating because of the nanohemispherical structures on
the surface. Through the Bragg diffraction formula, it was confirmed
that the FPC polymer films transfer a part of the light energy to
the second-order diffraction spectrum. Furthermore, the full-color
grating properties can be modulated through geometric deformation
because of the film’s elasticity. Additionally, anticounterfeiting
features were also successfully achieved when the polymer films were
either engraved with drawings and bent or patterned with fluorophores,
which can be revealed under ultraviolet light. The most important
aspect of this research is that the preparation of this FPC-structured
polymer film is inexpensive and convenient, enabling the mass production
of a new generation of smart materials.
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