| Abstract:Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) are a type of nanoscale cellulose extracted from natural fibers, and can form thin film materials with chiral nematic structures and bright colors through evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA), which can provide rich and intuitive visual information, making it the preferred for the new generation of photonic liquid crystal materials. However, CNC-based photonic materials currently suffer from issues such as poor mechanical properties and dynamic optical response, making it difficult to achieve their functional expansion. Therefore, the additives are usually added to improve CNC’s flexibility and adaptability. Hence, this review aims to systematically elaborate on the current preparation processes and influencing factors of photonic crystal thin films by combining CNC’s characteristics and summarize different controllable preparation schemes, including mechanical strength, color responsiveness, etc. Meanwhile, it also emphasizes the potential applications and development trends of CNC-based photonic materials in different fields. |