Selective Bragg reflection of visible light from coaxial electrospun fiber mats

Electrospinning is a relatively unsophisticated technique for generating continuous fibers whose diameters can approach nanoscale dimensions. In coaxial electrospinning, two different liquids can be spun, one inside the other, to produce a composite fiber with a core-sheath structure. We prepared dual-core fibers consisting of poly vinyl-pyrrolidone sheaths and cores of the short-pitched chiral nematic mixture CB15:E9. The flow rates, polymer concentration, and applied voltage were optimized prior to fiber production. The fibers were deposited as uniform nonwoven mats that displayed selective reflection of visible light from the blue phase of the confined chiral liquid crystal. These reflections are both temperature dependent and reversible and such mats offer potential as flexible sensors.