Mimicking natural organisms to directly fabricate multiresponsive structural color patterns from small molecules is of great significance for information encryption but remains challenging. Herein, we present a bionic entanglement-interlocking microphase separation strategy for in situ growth of multiresponsive structural color patterns within hydrogel matrixes. The precursor solutions of common polymerization-induced phase-separated materials are used as small-molecule nutrients. The newly generated polymer networks can thus spontaneously collapse into phase-separated microspheres within hydrogels during polymerization. In particular, the dense internetwork entanglements form between the microspheres and hydrogel networks during phase separation, anchoring the microspheres firmly onto hydrogel networks to hinder their gathering. Consequently, these newly grown microspheres can be maintained at the desired nanoscale for yielding the structural blue color by light scattering. Multiresponsive schemochrome patterns can be readily created by growing different microspheres within hydrogel matrixes for multiple information encryptions. We demonstrate that this facile self-growth strategy is applicable to different polymerization-induced phase-separated materials and hydrogel matrixes, regardless of cross-linking modes and geometries.

中文翻译：

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水凝胶内多响应结构颜色图案的原位生长，用于多重信息加密


模拟自然生物体直接从小分子中制造多响应结构彩色图案对于信息加密具有重要意义，但仍然具有挑战性。在此，我们提出了一种仿生纠缠-互锁微相分离策略，用于水凝胶基质中多响应结构颜色模式的原位生长。常见聚合诱导相分离材料的前驱体溶液用作小分子营养物质。因此，在聚合过程中，新生成的聚合物网络可以自发塌陷成水凝胶内的相分离微球。特别是，在相分离过程中，微球和水凝胶网络之间会形成密集的网间纠缠，将微球牢固地锚定在水凝胶网络上以阻碍它们的聚集。因此，这些新生长的微球可以保持在所需的纳米级，以便通过光散射产生结构蓝色。通过在水凝胶基质中培养不同的微球进行多重信息加密，可以很容易地创建多响应的 schemochrome 模式。我们证明这种简单的自生长策略适用于不同的聚合诱导相分离材料和水凝胶基质，无论交联模式和几何形状如何。