Programmable optical encryption using thickness-controlled stretchable chiral liquid crystal elastomers

Seungmin Nam; Seohyun Woo; Ji Yoon Park; Su Seok Choi

doi:10.1038/s41377-025-01815-z

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Programmable optical encryption using thickness-controlled stretchable chiral liquid crystal elastomers

Original Articles

- Programmable optical encryption using thickness-controlled stretchable chiral liquid crystal elastomers
- Light: Science & Applications Vol. 14, Issue 5, Pages: 1398-1409(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Department of Electrical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 77 Cheongam-ro, Pohang 37673, Korea
  2.Department of Electrical Engineering, Chosun University, 17, Chosundae 1-gil, Gwangju 61452, Korea
- Author bio：
  
  Su Seok Choi (choiss@postech.ac.kr)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-025-01815-z
  CLC：
- Received：29 October 2024，
  
  Revised：17 February 2025，
  
  Accepted：05 March 2025，
  
  Published Online：26 March 2025，
  
  Published：31 May 2025
- Accepted：
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Nam, S. et al. Programmable optical encryption using thickness-controlled stretchable chiral liquid crystal elastomers. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 1398-1409 (2025).
DOI：

Nam, S. et al. Programmable optical encryption using thickness-controlled stretchable chiral liquid crystal elastomers. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 1398-1409 (2025). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-025-01815-z.

摘要

Abstract

The growing demand for cryptographic security encourages the innovation of advanced materials with unique optical properties to secure information using light. Structural colors with soft materials exhibit dynamically tunable optical properties in response to external stimuli

making them ideal for multi-level photonic encryption. However

most previous studies on structural color-based photonic encryption have predominantly focused on single-wavelength tuning while employing inadequate triggering methods for practical device applications. Here

we propose a chiral liquid crystal elastomer (CLCE) designed for stretching-induced multi-wavelength control to enhance photonic encryption functionality. By employing a heterogeneous configuration with thickness-modulated CLCE

we achieve multi-photonic band wavelength control under mechanical deformation. Furthermore

this method extends the tunable wavelength range beyond the visible spectrum into the infrared region and integrates a discrete multi-pixel array structure

enabling advanced spatial and spectral control for complex encryption schemes. This multi-wavelength modulation method is expected to provide significant potential for applications in photonic encryption

adaptive optics

and next-generation information security systems.

关键词

Keywords

references

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