In this work, novel and smart polymer-based opal and inverse opal films for future applications as decorative films, sensor materials, materials with new security features and materials for optical data storage have been developed, whose optical properties can be switched extremely fast, highly efficient and completely reversible by various external stimuli. These films were produced by the method of melt-shear, that has already been used successfully in previous works to produce films of polymer and hybrid core-interlayer-shell (CIS) particles consisting of hard cores and grafted film-forming polymer shells. After particle organization in the melt of the polymer shells, the hard cores of the CIS-particles are arranged in a densely-packed crystal lattice, which is embedded in the matrix of the polymer shells. Due to the refractive index contrast between the cores and the polymer matrix these polymer opal films show the optical properties of colloidal photonic crystals. In the present work, the polymer opal films were combined with different stimuli-responsive polymers in order to equip these polymer opal films with stimuli-responsive properties. For this purpose, new synthetic strategies for functional monodisperse polymer particles with an internal CIS particle architecture were developed, which enabled the direct access to stimuli-responsive polymer opal films after subsequent organization in the melt. Based on this universal synthetic strategy, functional monomers could be incorporated both in the cores as well as in the shells of the CIS particles. In addition, multi-shell particles could be produced with combined stimuli-responsive properties. Besides the stimuli-responsiveness also the composition of the particles could be selectively varied: the synthesis allowed the controlled build-up of both polymeric as well as hybrid particles out of different stimuli-responsive polymers. From these new particle systems various opal and inverse opal films could be prepared. With regard to future applications effective cross-linking strategies were developed for these films, which allowed access to mechanically stable and self-supporting polymer films. For this, chemical cross-linking points were generated inside the polymer matrix of the films after their preparation in the melt and the films were thus stabilized, so that they maintain their structural order even under a high degree of chemical and mechanical stress. However, the subsequent cross-linking ensured not only the mechanical stability of the films but also enabled access to mechano-, thermo- and and solvatochromic opal and inverse opal films. Based on the efficient cross-linking, the films were completely reversible stretchable, reversibly swellable and reversible infiltratable, so that the reflection color of the films could be switched completely reversible in response to mechanical stress, temperature and solvents. These materials were characterized by electron microscopic, spectroscopic and rheological methods and the optical, mechanical and mechano-optical properties of the as-prepared materials were extensively studied with respect to their potential applications. However, the basic prerequisite for widespread applications of these stimuli-responsive opal and inverse opal films in optical sensor technology, counterfeit security and optoelectronics is a viable processing technology, which allows the fast and efficient large-area production of practical films. Therefore another part of this work dealt with the transfer of the melt-shear technique to a continuous production process, which makes it possible to process the CIS particles to homogeneous opal films with minimal defects on large-scales. For this purpose, practical synthesis and preparation processes, starting from the synthesis and processing of the polymer particles, to the continuous processing technology, and to subsequent stabilization of the films were developed to industrial maturity, so that these films can now be produced continuously over a large-area and on any length scales. Moreover, the possible applications of the particle-based materials were also expanded far beyond the opal films. Thus, hybrid raspberry-type particles, and inorganic hollow spheres, inverse opals and macroporous layers for applications as hydrophobic surfaces, lithium-ion batteries and membranes were developed. | English |