The invention belongs to fields of chemical industry, materials and optics, and relates to a structural color film material used in a large area and a method for preparing the same. Water-based inorganic nano-particles, monodisperse polymer emulsion and a non-essential addition agent are compounded by an in-situ polymerization method or blending method to obtain nano-composite emulsion, and the obtained emulsion is coated on the surface of a substrate; and moisture is volatilized, the three-dimensional ordered nano-structural color film material is prepared, and the color of the material can be regulated in a visible light area without adding any pigments. The structural color film material has the advantages of simple preparation, complete aquosity, safety, innocuity, easy large-area construction, good transparency, strong adhesive force and high heat resistance, can be directly coated on surfaces of glass, metal, ceramic, concrete, plastic and the like, and is used for bionics, decoration, printing, color display, photonic crystals, wave filtering, personal care, fabric fibers, coating, anti-counterfeit, optical sensors, photoelectric conversion materials and the like.