Multiple-stimuli-responsive multicolor luminescent self-healing hydrogel and application in information encryption and bioinspired camouflage

Abstract

With continuous advancements in smart technology, the requirement for smart fluorescent materials that can sense and respond to different external stimuli becomes higher and higher. It is still a challenge to endow luminescent materials with multiple-stimulus responses and self-healing properties. A self-healing hydrogel with multicolor luminescence properties induced by multiple stimuli (light, acid, and ions) is developed. The obtained hydrogel shows no luminescence in the initial state, and it can show green, yellow, and red luminescence under stimulation with UV light, H⁺, and Eu³⁺, respectively. In addition, this hydrogel shows excellent self-healing capabilities and completes the healing process in a few minutes. Taking advantage of these stimuli-responsive features, this hydrogel is shown to have potential applications in information encryption and bioinspired camouflage. We believe that the strategy and molecular system presented here can be valuable for the interdisciplinary development of intelligent information-encryption devices, smart flexible materials, and soft luminescent actuators.