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The ability of some animals to rapidly change their colors can greatly improve their chances of escaping predators or hunting prey. A classic example is cephalopods, which can rapidly shift through a wide range of colors. This ability is based on the synergetic effect of the change of pigmentary and structural colors exhibited by their own two categories of color‐changing cells: supernatant chromatophores offer various pigmentary colors and lower iridophores or leucophores reflect the different structural colors by adjusting their periodicities. Here, a mechanochromic liquid crystalline elastomer with force‐induced synergetic pigmentary and structural color change, whose mechanosensitivity is enhanced by the stress‐concentration induced by the doped nanoparticle, is presented. The materials have a large color‐changing gamut and high mechanochromic sensitivity, which exhibit great potential in the field of mechanical detectors, sensors, and anti‐counterfeiting materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution investigates the preparation of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films based on meth(acrylate) monomers containing rigid structures. The current study specifically focuses on comparison of the monomers on the basis of meth(acrylate) side group, flexible/rigid structures and rigidity. We find that methacrylate monomers exhibit more preferable electro-optic properties than that of the acrylate monomers. Furthermore, through the systematic variation of rigidity, composition of the monomers and chain length of crosslinking agents, both the morphologies and electro-optic properties of these films are found to be adjustable. A composite film is demonstrated by employing moderately rigid monomer (tetrahydrofurfuryl methacrylate) with low driving voltage (21.0 V) and high contrast ratio (87.5). Therefore, the studies here provide a new approach to optimize the electro-optical properties of the PDLC films by introducing monomers with rigid structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel series of dichroic anthraquinone dyes have been successfully synthesised with conventional Sonogashira reaction. These synthesised anthraquinone dyes were found to have high dichroic ratios, good solubilities, excellent hues and to be potential candidates for guest–host liquid crystal displays. The dichroic ratio is as high as 13.26, which is in the top level of the anthraquinone dyes reported so far. In addition, this paper provides an effective method to modulate the optic properties of anthraquinone dyes from the molecular level via the introduction of different radicals on the anthraquinone cores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]