Progress in Stability Adjustment of Photonic Crystal Coatings on Fabrics or Fiber: A Review

Photonic crystals with bright colors have shown great potential application in bio-sensing, anti-counterfeiting, and smart wear. Different methods are used to construct photonic crystals on fabrics using different raw materials. However, building photonic crystals on fibers or fabrics with vibrant colors and good stability is still challenging. Various strategies have been used to increase the stability (e.g. wash, bend, friction stability, and so on) of the photonic crystal coatings on the fabrics or fibers. Therefore, this paper reviews great efforts to construct photonic crystal-coated materials, the methods to increase the stability of photonic crystal coatings on the fabrics, and their possible applications. The summarization of this review may lay the foundation for the construction of photonic crystals on fabrics with high color fastness and application in fabric coloring.