Iridescent structural colors printing on cellulose fabrics with robust structural coloration

Structural coloration originating from colloidal particle assembly has drawn tremendous interest because of the brilliant dye-free colors in line with green and low-carbon development of the world. However, challenges like preparing structural colors with high saturation, durability, and time-efficiency in an unsmooth flexible surface such as fabrics are still remain. Here, a facile photopolymerization process is developed to construct high saturation and durable structural colors on cotton fabrics. The structural colors derive from the fast assembly of external magnetic field triggered Fe3O4@C particles. It is easy to regulate structural colors by adjusting magnetic particle sizes. In addition, by designing photo masks on transparent polyester films, the magnetic field induced assembly and photo polymerization strategy can conveniently print structural colored patterns on cotton fabric. This strategy may open a new gate in the textile printing field, as well as bring a new method by using fabrics to improve the mechanical properties of structural colors.