@article{Tang2026, 
author = {Yuanhan Tang and Baiqi Song and Weilin Xu and Xiaofang Zhang},
title = {Strong, tough, and stiff nanocellulose photonic laminates with customized optical functions},
year = {2026},
journal = {Nano Research},
keywords = {Nanocellulose, photonic laminate, layer-by-layer assembly, all-in-one mechanical combination, optical customization},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2026.94909190},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2026.94909190},
abstract = {Construction of strong, tough, and stiff biophotonic materials with customized and extended optical performance is significant to expand sustainable optics while it remains challenging. Herein, we propose a vacuum-assisted layer-by-layer assembly of cellulose nanocrystal and cellulose nanofiber alternatingly to fabricate nanocellulose photonic laminates. This strategy leverages the VASA technique to regulate drying kinetics and the layer-by-layer method to harmlessly incorporate energy-dissipating phases, enabling the fabrication of homogeneous and densely-packed nanocellulose photonic laminates with finely- tailored optomechanical performances. Specifically, the resultant nanocellulose photonic laminates synergistically integrate load-bearing cellulose nanocrystal sublayers and energy-dissipating cellulose nanofiber sublayers, achieving a comprehensive combination of high strength, toughness, stiffness, and impact resistance. Moreover, the resulting nanocellulose photonic laminates demonstrate well controllability and flexible editability in stacking structure via layer-by-layer assembly variation, that enables versatile optical functionalities, including arbitrary color blending based on the RGB color model and machine-learning-assisted color prediction. Impressively, by integrating nanocellulose photonic laminates with diverse stacked architectures, we establish a photonic matrix platform featuring programmable color-switching responses for information encoding and encryption. This work takes a crucial step forward to sustainable photonic materials with excellent mechanical combinations and optical functionality for bio-enabled display technologies and security indicators.}
}