Polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals with multi-state reversibility for applications in advanced smart adjustable anti-counterfeiting and energy-saving displays

[Display omitted] •A spinner machine and mask is developed for the preparation of unimodal and multistimulated anti-counterfeit films.•Advanced anti-counterfeiting films and electronic paper are prepared using the strategy of diffusion S5011.•Multi-modal and multi-stimulus anti-counterfeiting modes enable intelligent adjustment of multiple information.•Bistable energy-saving billboards can be displayed in multiple color with intelligently adjustable prices. The creation of an anti-counterfeiting material with reflection color, fluorescence, infrared imaging, and electrical property information will increase the level of anti-counterfeiting. However, the creation of such a material has proved to be extremely challenging. In this study, twin anti-counterfeiting labels with intelligently tunable patterns were obtained through a strategy of PMMA loaded chiral molecules via diffusing on the micrometer scale. In order to enhance anti-counterfeiting ability, the multi-mode intelligently modulated advanced anti-counterfeiting material was obtained through the strategy of introducing photo-isomerizing dithienylethene and infrared-shielding Cs0.33WO3 nanoparticles. This material can be reversibly converted into fluorescent, reflected colors, infrared, and electrical characteristic signals. The encrypted information is displayed with red fluorescence under UV light irradiation. Furthermore, the encrypted information can be reversibly displayed and erased under repeated stimulation by voltage and pressure, heating and cooling, UV, visible and near infrared (NIR) light. The aim of our work is to create a simple method to prepare complex patterns of structural and fluorescent color anti-counterfeiting films with the improved anti-counterfeiting capability. Based on this, the strategy of co-doping fluorescent molecules and photochromic molecules in liquid crystals combined with etching technology has realized a multiple anti-counterfeiting mode with a higher level of security. The advanced multiple anti-counterfeiting mode can output encrypted information of multiple states which will greatly improve the level of anti-counterfeiting. In terms of display, we obtained billboards with complex patterns, price intelligently tunable and full-color display by diffusion S5011 in liquid crystals, thus extending their application in the field of electronic shelf labels.