Structurally-colored articles having different color sections
As described above, one or more aspects of the present disclosure provide articles having structural color, and methods of making articles having structural color. The present disclosure provides for articles that exhibit structural colors through the use of an optical element having one or more layers. The optical element includes at least a first section and a second section. The first section imparts a first structural color and the second section imparts a second structural color. The first structural color and the second structural color differ from each other when viewed from the same angle of observation.
1. A structure comprising:
an optical element disposed on a surface of an article, wherein the optical element includes at least a first section disposed on a first area of the article and a second section disposed on a second area of the article, wherein the first section of the optical element imparts a first structural color to the first area of the article, wherein the second section of the optical element imparts a second structural color to the second area of the article, and wherein a color parameter of the first structural color and the second structural color are different from each other when viewed from the same angle of observation of a viewer having 20/20 visual acuity and normal color vision from a distance of about 1 meter from the article;
wherein the optical element comprises at least one layer, wherein the first section has a first number of layers and the second section has a second number of layers, wherein the first number of layers and the second number of layers are different, wherein at least one layer of the first section and a corresponding layer of the second section have a different average thickness,
wherein the first section includes a first set of layers, wherein the second section includes a second set of layers, wherein the index of refraction of each corresponding layer of the first set of layers is different than the index of refraction of each corresponding layer of the second set of layers.
2. The structure of claim 1 , wherein each corresponding layer of the first section and the second section of the optical element have a different average thickness.
3. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the first section includes a first set of layers, wherein the second section includes a second set of layers, wherein the material of each corresponding layer of the first set of layers corresponds to the material of each corresponding layer of the second set of layers, wherein vertically adjacent layers of the second section are made of different materials, and wherein vertically adjacent layers of the first section are made of different materials.
4. The structure of claim 1 , wherein a first layer of the first section of the optical element has an average first layer first section thickness, wherein a first layer of the second section of the optical element has an average second layer second section thickness, wherein the average second layer second section thickness is about 5 to 90% of the thickness of the average first layer first section thickness.
5. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the first section includes a first set of layers, wherein the second section includes a second set of layers, wherein each layer of the first set of layers independently has an average thickness and each layer of the second set of layer independently has an average thickness, wherein each corresponding layer of the second set of layers is independently about 5 to 90% of the average thickness of the corresponding layer of the first set of layers.
6. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the article is a flat or a substantially flat surface.
7. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the article is non-flat.
8. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the second structural color is a limited iridescent multi-hue structural color in which the hue of the structural color varies, or varies substantially over a limited number of hues when viewed from two or more different viewing angles that are at least 15 degrees apart from each other, wherein the limited number of hues is selected from 2 hues, 3 hues or 4 hues.
9. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the optical element is an organic optical element or a mixed inorganic/organic optical element.
10. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the optical element is an inorganic optical element.
11. The structure of claim 1 , wherein when measured according to the CIE 1976 color space under a given illumination condition at a first observation angle of about −15 to 180 degrees or about or about −15 degrees and +60 degrees, the optical element has a first color measurement having coordinates L 1 * and a 1 * and b 1 * as measured from the first section of the optical element, and optical element has a second color measurement having coordinates L 2 * and a 2 * and b 2 * as measured from the second section of the optical element, where ΔE* ab =[(L 1 *−L 2 *) 2 +(a 1 *−a 2 *) 2 +(b 1 *−b 2 *) 2 ] 1/2 , wherein the ΔE* ab between the first color measurement and the second color measurement is greater than about 3, then the first structural color and the second structural color are different.
12. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the first section and the second section of the optical element have a different average thickness.
13. The structure of claim 12 , wherein the first section has a first section average thickness and the second section has a second section average thickness, wherein the second section average thickness is about 5 to 90% of the thickness of the first section thickness.
14. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the first layer of the first section of the optical element and the first layer of the second section of the optical element form a first contiguous layer which extends over the first section of the optical element and the second section of the optical element, wherein the average thickness of the first layer of the first section and the first layer in the second section are different.
15. The structure of claim 14 , wherein the first continuous layer consists essentially of the same material.
16. A method of making the structure of claim 1 , comprising: disposing the optical element onto the surface of the article.
17. An article comprising: a product of the method of claim 16 .
18. A structure comprising:
an optical element disposed on a surface of an article, wherein the optical element includes at least a first section disposed on a first area of the article and a second section disposed on a second area of the article, wherein the first section of the optical element imparts a first structural color to the first area of the article, wherein the second section of the optical element imparts a second structural color to the second area of the article, and wherein a color parameter of the first structural color and the second structural color are different from each other when viewed from the same angle of observation of a viewer having 20/20 visual acuity and normal color vision from a distance of about 1 meter from the article;
wherein the optical element comprises at least one layer, wherein the first section has a first number of layers and the second section has a second number of layers, wherein the first number of layers and the second number of layers are different, wherein at least one layer of the first section and a corresponding layer of the second section have a different average thickness, wherein the first structural color is a single-hue angle-independent first structural color that displays the same hue or substantially the same hue when viewed from at least 3 different angles that are at least 15 degrees apart from each other.
19. A structure comprising:
an optical element disposed on a surface of an article, wherein the optical element includes at least a first section disposed on a first area of the article and a second section disposed on a second area of the article, wherein the first section of the optical element imparts a first structural color to the first area of the article, wherein the second section of the optical element imparts a second structural color to the second area of the article, and wherein a color parameter of the first structural color and the second structural color are different from each other when viewed from the same angle of observation of a viewer having 20/20 visual acuity and normal color vision from a distance of about 1 meter from the article;
wherein the optical element comprises at least one layer, wherein the first section has a first number of layers and the second section has a second number of layers, wherein the first number of layers and the second number of layers are different, wherein at least one layer of the first section and a corresponding layer of the second section have a different average thickness, wherein the first structural color, the second structural color or both are solely from the optical element, wherein the optical element does not include dyes, pigments or both.