3D-Printed Architected Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Displays With Spatiotemporal Color Modulation.

Abstract

Cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) can exhibit reversible structural colors through selective reflection from their helical superstructures when well-defined planar alignment and a visible-range helical pitch are established. Although CLC photonic systems have been extended beyond planar cells to 3D geometries such as droplets, shells, and fibers, the integrated fabrication of complex architected CLC display structures with programmable spatiotemporal color control remains underexplored. Here, we introduce a multi-material 3D printing approach that advances 3D-printed CLCs from static photonic patterns to architected display systems with spatiotemporally controllable color output. Shear-thinning CLC composite inks enable high-fidelity extrusion while retaining reversible structural coloration, supporting patterned films and freestanding 3D photonic architectures. Co-printed conductive Joule-heating circuits form monolithic electrothermal devices, where local temperature and reflection wavelength are precisely encoded via circuit geometry. This strategy achieves spatiotemporally programmable multicolor outputs within a single device. Integrated into a soft robotic gripper, the system provides real-time visual temperature feedback and enables adaptive actuation, establishing a scalable materials-to-device framework for programmable, interactive photonic architectures.