UC Riverside

Developing efficient photoreversible color switching systems for constructing rewritable paper is of significant practical interest owing to the potential environmental benefits including forest conservation, pollution reduction, and resource sustainability. Here we report that the color change associated with the redox chemistry of nanoparticles of Prussian blue and its analogues could be integrated with the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanoparticles to construct a class of new photoreversible color switching systems, which can be conveniently utilized for fabricating ink-free, light printable rewritable paper with various working colors. The current system also addresses the phase separation issue of the previous organic dye-based color switching system so that it can be conveniently applied to the surface of conventional paper to produce an ink-free light printable rewritable paper that has the same feel and appearance as the conventional paper. With its additional advantages such as excellent scalability and outstanding rewriting performance (reversibility >80 times, legible time >5 days, and resolution >5 μm), this novel system can serve as an eco-friendly alternative to regular paper in meeting the increasing global needs for environment protection and resource sustainability.