Self-Assembled Hierarchical Arrays for Colored Retroreflective Coatings

This study reports a self-assembly technology for fabricating retroreflection coatings with hierarchical nano-/microstructures, which are inspired by the binary periodic structures found in the compound eyes of insects. Silica colloidal crystals of adjustable thicknesses are assembled on encountering glass microbeads using a Langmuir–Blodgett-like approach in a layer-by-layer manner. The as-assembled hierarchical structures exhibit a brilliant color caused by Bragg diffraction from the crystalline lattice of silica colloidal crystals on glass microbeads. The resultant coating is capable of reflecting light in the opposite direction of the incident light. Moreover, the dependence of the silica particle size, the colloidal crystal thickness, and the incident angle on the retroreflective properties are investigated in this study.