In nature, many flowers
can open their petals into blooming flowers
or furl them into buds and simultaneously alter the petal colors under
the precise control of light, temperature, pH, humidity, or other
environmental stimuli. Inspired by this fascinating natural phenomenon,
here we report a two-spiropyran-unit-functionalized, monodomain/polydomain
bilayer-structured liquid crystal elastomer strategy to fabricate
an ultraviolet, green, and near-infrared trilight-modulated tricolor-changing
flower mimic soft actuator. Relying on a combination of photochromic
effect, thermochromic effect, pigment blending effect, photothermal
conversion effect, and gradient stress effect, this flower mimic material
can furl or open it “petals” under the on/off stimulation
of near-infrared light and meanwhile possess a tristable showy color
switch system which is tunable through varying the wavelength band
(365, 520, and 808 nm) of light stimuli. Such a material has wide
application prospects in camouflage materials, control devices, and
biomimetic devices.
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