Affiliation:
1. National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures Nanjing University Nanjing China
2. State Kay Laboratory of Chemistry and Utilization of Carbon Based Energy Resources College of Chemistry Xinjiang University Urumqi China
Abstract
AbstractThe increasing demand for the multidimensional and dynamic control of light has spurred the development of stimuli‐responsive, reconfigurable, and programmable optical systems. Liquid crystals (LCs), which combine liquid‐like stimuli‐responsiveness and crystal‐like orientational ordering, have emerged as highly appealing soft materials. Owing to their exceptional optical performance and programmable functionalities, they are becoming incredibly important materials in active planar optics and photonics. Additionally, silk proteins, luminescent materials, and metasurfaces exhibit dynamic optical properties, enabling remarkable multifunctional applications. This review focuses on the advancements in stimuli‐responsive materials, including LCs, silk proteins, luminescent materials, and active metasurfaces as well as some of these materials paired with LCs. Their attractive tunable applications in optics and photonics, along with the great potential for the future development of active optical systems, are also emphasized.