The fabrication of full color P(St‐MAA) photonic crystal structure on polyester fabrics by vertical deposition self‐assembly

Three‐dimensional (3D) photonic crystals with face‐centered cubic structure were successfully fabricated on soft polyester fabrics via vertical deposition self‐assembly, with monodisperse P(St‐MAA) microspheres prepared by soap‐free emulsion copolymerization. The resultant polyester fabrics exhibited bright structural colors through the well‐ordered photonic crystal microstructure without any chemical dyes and pigments. The tunable structural colors across the whole visible region confirmed by reflectance spectra could be adjusted by controlling the diameters of the microspheres and viewing angles, and this was consistent with the law of the Bragg diffraction. The resultant polyester fabrics also presented some favorable properties including double‐sided coloration effect, clear fabric texture, and soft fabric handle. The structural coloration by vertical deposition self‐assembly of P(St‐MAA) photonic crystals may provide a new strategy for textile coloration without using chemical colorants, and have a potential to reduce the pollution in the current textile dyeing and printing processes. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41750.