Silver to Gold Metallic Luster Changes in Stimuli-Responsive Diacetylene Derivatives Uniquely Arranged within Crystals.

Eye-catching metallic luster materials, especially those whose colors can be controlled by external stimuli, have many potential applications. Here, we present a silver luster material that changes color to gold upon UV irradiation. Diacetylene (DA) derivatives with stilbenes introduced via linkers at both ends (DS-DAn (n = 1-6)) exhibited significantly different metallic luster and color change behaviors depending on the linker carbon number (n). The results revealed that the stacked structure of platelet crystals consisting of DS-DA1 with the shortest linker carbon chain exhibited a silver luster and changed its appearance to gold upon UV irradiation; this was an exceptional property of this material. More importantly, we found a unique crystal structure formed by DS-DA1, where the two assembled states coexisted. Partial topochemical polymerization of DA within this unique crystal structure dramatically changed its color from silver to gold. The findings of this study not only contribute to the development of the basic science of DA polymerization but also facilitate the development of new applications of metallic luster materials due to their attractive features that are adaptable to photomask patterning and UV laser lithography.

Janus metallic film with gold and silver luster by electroless deposition of silver using poly(dopamine acrylamide) thin film.

Films that exhibit different metallic luster on the front and back, called Janus metallic films, have broad applications ranging from design materials to optical devices. However, the fabrication of these films is often a complicated process involving multiple metal deposition steps, thermal annealing, and calcination. Herein, we report the simple preparation of a Janus metallic film by electroless deposition of silver on a poly(dopamine acrylamide) (pDOPAm) thin film. pDOPAm was successfully synthesized via the controlled reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization of dopamine acrylamide without a protective group using dimethylformamide as the solvent. The synthesized pDOPAm was spin-coated onto a solid substrate, which was then immersed in an aqueous AgNO3 solution to achieve the electroless deposition of silver. Our preparation method will considerably simplify the fabrication of Janus metallic films, enabling their widespread application as decorative or authentication materials.