Abstract: The invention has for its object to provide a colloidal crystal gel with which any enclosure structure is dispensed with, its production process, and an optical device using the same. The colloidal crystal gel (100) of the invention is characterized in that fine particles (110) are self-organizingly and periodically lined up in a polymer gel (120), and an ion liquid (130) is contained in the polymer gel (120). The production process is characterized in that after the fine particles (110) are self-organizingly and periodically lined up and fixed by the polymer gel (12), the polymer gel is impregnated with the ion liquid (130). The optical device is characterized in that the colloidal crystal gel is used for control of transmission, reflection and diffraction of light and for frequency conversion of light. See FIG. 1.

Abstract: Prior colloidal crystal preparation means requires much workmanship to obtain colloidal crystals, relying much on the expertise of an operator. To utilize colloidal crystals in various fields and develop them from now on, it is in demand to establish preparation means capable of preparing colloidal crystals with good reproducibility. The object of the invention is to meet such demand. A gas compressed in a compressor (1) is controlled by a gas pulse controller (3) to generate compressed air pulses, and the pulses are then guided to a colloidal crystal preparation vessel (6) having a flat plate type capillary portion to produce a pressure fluctuation, which is in turn used as driving power, thereby giving a flow and hard-stopping motion to a colloidal solution in the flat plate type capillary for formation of colloidal crystals of good single crystallinity.

Abstract: Prior colloidal crystal preparation means requires much workmanship to obtain colloidal crystals, relying much on the expertise of an operator. To utilize colloidal crystals in various fields and develop them from now on, it is in demand to establish preparation means capable of preparing colloidal crystals with good reproducibility. The object of the invention is to meet such demand. A gas compressed in a compressor (1) is controlled by a gas pulse controller (3) to generate compressed air pulses, and the pulses are then guided to a colloidal crystal preparation vessel (6) having a flat plate type capillary portion to produce a pressure fluctuation, which is in turn used as driving power, thereby giving a flow and hard-stopping motion to a colloidal solution in the flat plate type capillary for formation of colloidal crystals of good single crystallinity.

Abstract: Gelled colloidal crystals obtained by ultraviolet irradiation gelation means proposed so far in the art are inadequate in term of homogeneous gelation as far as their deep portions, and gelled colloidal crystals obtained by use of gelation means relying upon a light source in the visible light range in place of that ultraviolet irradiation has several problems such as difficulty with selection of polymerization initiators and generation of gas bubbles. The object of the invention is to provide a colloidal crystal gelled homogeneously to within, from which those problems are eliminated. To this end, a colloidal solution using an aqueous liquid as a disperse medium with a monomer or macromer added thereto and camphorquinone, riboflavin or their derivative contained therein as a polymerization initiator is irradiated with light having a wavelength component in the range of at least 400 nm to 500 nm for the purpose of gelation, thereby providing a solution to the aforesaid problems.