Structurally-colored textile articles and methods for making structurally-colored textile articles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for imparting color to objects using dyes and pigments are environmentally unfriendly and can compromise the properties of flexible materials like textiles, and they do not offer aesthetically appealing and durable structural colors.
Innovation Solution
The use of optical elements with layers of varying refractive indices, deposited on thermoplastic elastomeric materials, which create structural colors through scattering, refraction, reflection, and interference, eliminating the need for dyes or pigments and maintaining the material's properties such as stretch and hand.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If dyes and pigments are used to impart color to textile articles, then coloration is achieved, but environmental harm and compromise of material properties occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical coloration methods (dyes and pigments) with a physical/optical method using an optical coating structure. The optical coating uses layers with different refractive indices to create structural color through interference effects, eliminating the need for harmful chemical dyes and pigments while achieving durable coloration on textile articles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of coloration from chemical absorption (dyes/pigments) to physical optical interference. By controlling the thickness and refractive indices of multiple coating layers, the patent achieves color effects without chemical substances, thereby eliminating environmental harm associated with dye chemistry.
2Ease of manufacture
If dyes and pigments are used to impart color to textile articles, then coloration is achieved, but the aesthetic appeal and durability of structural colors are not obtained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical coloration with physical optical interference using a multilayer coating structure. This structural color approach provides superior durability because the color is generated by the physical structure of the coating rather than chemical dyes that can fade, bleed, or degrade, thereby achieving both aesthetic appeal and long-term color retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite optical coating structure consisting of multiple layers with different materials and refractive indices. This composite structure includes a base layer, reflector layer, and profile elements, creating a sophisticated system that generates durable structural colors with high aesthetic appeal that cannot be achieved with simple dye applications.
3Ease of manufacture
If optical elements are deposited on flexible textile materials, then structural colors are produced, but the flexibility and stretch properties may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies optical coating layers in the form of thin films directly onto flexible textile substrates. These thin film coatings are designed to conform to the flexible nature of the textile, allowing the coated article to maintain stretch and drape properties while achieving durable structural coloration. The coating structure is applied in a manner that preserves the underlying textile's mechanical flexibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method produces aesthetically appealing, durable structural colors on flexible materials like textiles without using inks or pigments, ensuring the materials' properties are preserved and providing a sustainable alternative to traditional coloration methods.
Implementation Method 1
structural colors are visible colors produced, at least in part, through optical effects (e.g., through scattering, refraction, reflection, interference, and/or diffraction of visible wavelengths of light)
Implementation Method 2
structural colors are visible colors produced, at least in part, through optical effects (e.g., through scattering, refraction, reflection, interference, and/or diffraction of visible wavelengths of light)
Implementation Method 3
structural colors are visible colors produced, at least in part, through optical effects (e.g., through scattering, refraction, reflection, interference, and/or diffraction of visible wavelengths of light)
Implementation Method 4
structural colors are visible colors produced, at least in part, through optical effects (e.g., through scattering, refraction, reflection, interference, and/or diffraction of visible wavelengths of light)
Implementation Method 5
The optical element defined in the claims comprises optical layers formed in a layer-by-layer manner, wherein each layer has a different index of refraction
Data Source
Figure 1A~1M
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A textile article having an optical element (200) that imparts structural color to a first surface of the textile which is defined by a first thermoplastic material onto which the optical element (200) is disposed. The optical element (200) comprising optical layers (240) formed in a layer-by-layer manner where each layer (240) has a different index of refraction. The present disclosure is also directed to method of manufacturing the textile article including the optical element (200), comprising disposing optical layers (240) in a layer-by-layer manner.