An electro-tunable color display method for liquid metal materials

Abstract

The present invention discloses an electro-tunable color display method for liquid metal materials in the field of color display technology. The electro-tunable color display method for liquid metal materials includes the following steps: fabricating a conductive substrate, and fabricating an electrochromic material thin film on the surface of the conductive substrate; preparing micro-nano patterns of liquid metal materials on the electrochromic material thin film to form liquid metal materials; fabricating an electrolyte chamber, injecting an electrolyte, arranging a working electrode and a counter electrode, and closing the electrolyte chamber to complete the preparation. After power-on and under the regulation of an external electric field, the device can realize color regulation in combination with the electrochromic material. The electro-tunable color display method for liquid metal materials can make the reflected, transmitted or scattered light exhibit colors under the illumination of external light. After power-on and under the regulation of an external electric field, the device can realize dynamic color regulation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of color display, and specifically, to an electro-tunable color display method for liquid metal materials. Background Art

[0002] Metamaterials endow people with the ability to control electromagnetic waves at the microscale and are one of the most remarkable research directions in nanophotonics. Through the artificial design of the composition structure of metamaterials, flexible regulation of electromagnetic wave parameters such as amplitude, phase, and polarization can be achieved, and it has important applications in optical computing, holographic imaging, electromagnetic stealth, etc. However, at present, metamaterials lack active tunability and cannot meet the actual demand for dynamic tunability; secondly, the technical solutions relying on expensive micro-nano processing also limit the large-scale manufacturing and practical applications of metamaterial micro-nano structures.

[0003] Liquid metals are rich in nature and low in cost, providing a new way for the manufacturing of metamaterial micro-nano structures. Liquid metals have a Drude-like dielectric function, and the spectrum extends from vacuum ultraviolet to visible light, and even to the infrared spectral region in the liquid state. Therefore, they can be used to prepare metamaterial micro-nano structures in different wavelength bands. More importantly, liquid metals can be conveniently patterned by low-cost techniques such as nanoimprinting or printing.

[0004] Electrochromic materials have electro-tunable dielectric response parameters, and the electromagnetic response of metamaterial micro-nano structures depends on the influence of parameters such as their surrounding medium environment. Therefore, by combining liquid metal materials and electrochromic materials, electro-tunable color display of liquid metal materials can be achieved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an electro-tunable color display method for liquid metal materials, so as to solve the technical problems that current metamaterials lack active tunability and cannot meet the actual demand for dynamic tunability; and the technical solutions relying on expensive micro-nano processing limit the large-scale manufacturing and practical applications of metamaterial micro-nano structures.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] The present invention provides an electro-tunable color display method for liquid metal materials, including the following steps:

[0008] S1. Fabricate a conductive substrate and fabricate an electrochromic material thin film on the surface of the conductive substrate;

[0009] S2. Prepare a micro-nano pattern of liquid metal material on the electrochromic material thin film to form a liquid metal material;

[0010] S3. Fabricate the electrolyte chamber, inject the electrolyte, arrange the working electrode and the counter electrode, seal the electrolyte chamber to complete the preparation. After power-on, under the control of an external electric field, the device can achieve color regulation by combining electrochromic materials.

[0011] Further, the S1 includes the following steps:

[0012] S11. Make a conductive substrate from metal or ITO conductive glass, and treat the surface of the conductive substrate with a plasma process;

[0013] S12. Fabricate a layer of electrochromic material film on the conductive substrate by physical coating, spraying, spin coating or electroplating.

[0014] Further, the electrochromic material film in S12 is made of inorganic electrochromic materials or organic electrochromic materials and their derivatives.

[0015] Further, the S2 includes the following steps:

[0016] S21. The liquid metal material is any one of gallium-based metals, gallium-indium-tin alloys, metals or alloy materials with a melting point below 200 °C.

[0017] S22. The methods for obtaining micro-nano patterns include nanoimprinting, aerosol inkjet printing, nano printing, flat transfer printing or 3D printing;

[0018] S23. The liquid metal material patterns include, but are not limited to, periodic array structures and disordered structures.

[0019] Further, the S3 includes the following steps:

[0020] S31. Fabricate the electrolyte chamber;

[0021] S32. Inject the electrolyte, arrange the working electrode and the counter electrode;

[0022] S33. Seal the electrolyte chamber to complete the preparation;

[0023] S34. After power-on, under the control of an external electric field, the device can achieve color regulation by combining electrochromic materials.

[0024] Further, the electrolyte chamber in S31 is made of a polymer material, and the polymer material is any one of PDMS, PVC, PMMA, polyimide or silicone materials.

[0025] Further, the S32 includes the following steps:

[0026] S321. Inject the electrolyte;

[0027] S322. The working electrode passes through the electrolyte and contacts the liquid metal material;

[0028] S323. The counter electrode contacts the surface of the electrolyte.

[0029] Furthermore, the electrolyte is a salt solution or a molten salt, and the salt solution is a solution containing water or an organic solvent.

[0030] Furthermore, both the working electrode and the counter electrode are made of an inert conductive material, and the inert conductive material is any one of noble metals, metal oxides, carbon and its derivative materials, and alloys.

[0031] Furthermore, the external electric field regulation in S34 is achieved by real-time control of the magnitude of the current, the strength of the electric field, or the distribution of the electric field.

[0032] Adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0033] The present invention provides a method for color display of an electro-tunable liquid metal material. The method uses nanoimprinting or printing technology to pattern the liquid metal to prepare the liquid metal material. At the same time, the liquid metal material is combined with an electrochromic material, and the dielectric properties of the electrochromic material are adjusted by an electric field, thereby adjusting the resonant wavelength response of the liquid metal material, realizing controllable dynamic regulation of the color display of the liquid metal material, and causing color changes in the reflected, scattered, or transmitted light under the irradiation of external light. It can be applied to fields such as color display based on metamaterials, camouflage stealth, and holographic imaging. Description of the Drawings

[0034] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the electro-tunable liquid metal material of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the wavelength range of the scattered color change supported by the present invention. Detailed Embodiments

[0036] The technical solution of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings of the specification. It should be noted that in this article, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the term "comprising", "including" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article or device.

[0037] The present invention provides a method for color display of an electro-tunable liquid metal material, including the following steps:

[0038] S1. Fabricate a conductive substrate and fabricate an electrochromic material thin film on the surface of the conductive substrate;

[0039] S1 includes the following specific steps:

[0040] S11. Make a conductive substrate from conductive materials such as metal and ITO conductive glass, and treat the surface of the conductive substrate with plasma process technology to make it conducive to bonding and coating.

[0041] S12. Fabricate a layer of electrochromic material thin film on the conductive substrate by physical coating, spraying, spin coating or electroplating.

[0042] The electrochromic material thin film in S12 is made of inorganic electrochromic materials (such as tungsten trioxide) or organic electrochromic materials and their derivatives.

[0043] S2. Prepare a micro-nano pattern of liquid metal material on the electrochromic material thin film to form a liquid metal material;

[0044] S2 includes the following specific steps:

[0045] The liquid metal material in S21 is any one of gallium-based metals, gallium-indium-tin alloys, metals or alloy materials with a melting point below 200 °C.

[0046] The methods for obtaining the micro-nano pattern include techniques such as nanoimprinting, aerosol inkjet printing, nano printing, flat transfer printing or 3D printing;

[0047] The liquid metal material pattern includes but is not limited to periodic array structures and disordered structures.

[0048] S3. Fabricate an electrolyte cavity, inject an electrolyte, arrange a working electrode and a counter electrode, seal the electrolyte cavity to complete the preparation. After power-on, under the regulation of an external electric field, the device can achieve color regulation in combination with the electrochromic material.

[0049] S3 includes the following specific steps:

[0050] S31. Fabricate an electrolyte cavity, which is used for filling the liquid metal and injecting the electrolyte; the electrolyte cavity in S31 is made of a polymer material, and the polymer material is any one of PDMS, PVC, PMMA, polyimide or silica gel and other materials.

[0051] S32. Inject the electrolyte, arrange the working electrode and the counter electrode. Both the working electrode and the counter electrode are made of inert conductive materials, and the inert conductive materials are any one of precious metals, metal oxides, carbon and its derivative materials and alloys.

[0052] S32 includes the following steps:

[0053] S321. Inject an electrolyte, where the electrolyte is a salt solution or a molten salt, and the salt solution is a solution containing water or an organic solvent.

[0054] S322. The working electrode passes through the electrolyte and contacts the liquid metal material;

[0055] S323. The counter electrode contacts the surface of the electrolyte.

[0056] S33. Seal the electrolyte chamber to complete the preparation;

[0057] S34. After power-on and under the control of an external electric field, the device can achieve color regulation by combining with an electrochromic material. The external electric field regulation in S34 is achieved by real-time controlling the magnitude of the current, the strength of the electric field, or the distribution of the electric field, thereby realizing the controllable regulation of the color display of the device.

[0058] Embodiment

[0059] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the electro-tunable liquid metal material of the present invention, specifically as Figure 1 shown. Among them, 1 is a liquid metal pattern, 2 is an electrochromic material, 3 is a conductive substrate, 4 is an electrolyte, 5 is a counter electrode, and 6 is an electrolyte chamber. Electroplate an electrochromic material (such as polyaniline, 10 - 100 nm) on the conductive substrate, and then form an ordered or disordered metamaterial array on the electrochromic material layer through aerosol inkjet printing technology, and the liquid metal material presents a static color. Subsequently, make an electrolyte chamber with a polymer material, inject the electrolyte and deploy the working electrode and the counter electrode, where the working electrode contacts the conductive substrate, and the counter electrode contacts the electrolyte layer at the edge. Then connect an external power supply, making the working electrode in contact with the conductive substrate the anode and the counter electrode in contact with the electrolyte the cathode. Under the action of voltage, the electrochromic material undergoes an electrochemical reaction, changing the dielectric environment around the liquid metal material, thereby changing the resonance response of the liquid metal material. Under the irradiation of external light, the reflected light shows color changes, specifically as Figure 2 shown, where Figure 2 in A represents the blue wavelength band range, B represents the green wavelength band range, and C represents the red wavelength band range.

[0060] Among them, the conductive substrate is made of conductive materials such as metal and ITO conductive glass.

[0061] The electrolyte chamber is made of a polymer material, and the polymer material is PDMS.

[0062] The liquid metal material mainly refers to gallium and other metals or metal alloy materials that are liquid under normal temperature conditions, and has good electrical conductivity, ductility, and processability.

[0063] The working electrode and the counter electrode are made of an inert conductive material, such as noble metals (materials such as gold and platinum), metal oxides (materials such as iridium oxide and titanium oxide), carbon and its derivatives (carbon, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanowires, carbon nanoparticles), alloys (alloy materials such as stainless steel and titanium nitride).

[0064] The electrolyte is a salt solution or a molten salt, and the salt solution is a solution containing water or an organic solvent.

[0065] Finally, it should be noted that although the present invention has been described with reference to the current specific embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Various equivalent changes or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention. Therefore, as long as the changes and modifications of the above embodiments are within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, they will fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrically adjustable liquid metal material color display method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. Prepare a conductive substrate, and prepare an electrochromic material film on the surface of the conductive substrate; S2. Preparing a micro-nano pattern of a liquid metal material on the electrochromic material film to form a liquid metal material; S3. Prepare an electrolyte cavity, inject electrolyte, arrange working electrode and counter electrode, the working electrode contacts the conductive substrate, the counter electrode contacts the surface of the electrolyte, and the electrolyte cavity is closed to complete the preparation. After power is turned on, the device can be combined with electrochromic materials to achieve color control under the control of external electric field; The S2 comprises the following steps: S21. The liquid metal material is a gallium-based metal or a gallium-indium-tin alloy; S22. Methods for obtaining micro-nano patterns include nanoimprinting, aerosol inkjet printing, nanoprinting, flat plate transfer or 3D printing; S23. Liquid metal material patterns include but are not limited to periodic array structures and disordered structures.

2. The electrically adjustable liquid metal material color display method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The S1 comprises the following steps: S11. A conductive substrate is made of metal or ITO conductive glass, and the surface of the conductive substrate is treated by a plasma process; S12. Prepare a thin film of electrochromic material on a conductive substrate by physical coating, spraying, spin coating or electroplating.

3. The electrically adjustable liquid metal material color display method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The S3 comprises the following steps: S31. Making an electrolyte chamber; S32. Inject electrolyte and arrange working electrode and counter electrode; S33. The electrolyte chamber is closed to complete the preparation; S34. After power is supplied, the device can realize color control in combination with electrochromic materials under the control of external electric field.

4. The electrically adjustable liquid metal material color display method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The electrolyte chamber in S31 is made of a polymer material, and the polymer material is any one of PDMS, PVC, PMMA or polyimide.

5. The electrically adjustable liquid metal material color display method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The electrolyte is a salt solution or a molten salt, and the salt solution is a solution containing water or an organic solvent.

6. The electrically adjustable liquid metal material color display method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The external electric field regulation in S34 is achieved by real-time control of the magnitude of the current, the strength of the electric field or the distribution of the electric field.

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