Journal article
Bio-inspired Strategies for the Development of Structural Color
Polymeric materials science and engineering, Vol.91(fall)
01 Oct 2004
Abstract
The natural world remains a visual splendor, as many of its inhabitants are clad in stunning colors. Color typically results from either pigmentation or bioluminescence and is inherently important to the lives of the many inhabitants for survival, camouflage and predatory behavior. Some organisms, despite the absence of pigmentation, possess strikingly brilliant and glossy colors, particularly in the blue and green wavelengths, due to a combination of optical phenomena such as reflection, refraction, and thin-film interference. (Figure 1) For example, the intense coloration of butterflies, snakes, hummingbirds and arthropods is due to reflective interference by stacked thin layers of film comprised of alternating materials with high and low indices of refraction. By controlling the stacking of thin biopolymer films, butterfly mimics can be created for various sensing and materials applications, such as antifouling coatings, novel materials for camouflage, and bioanalytical sensors.
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Details
- Title
- Bio-inspired Strategies for the Development of Structural Color
- Creators
- Caroline SchauerMatthew Cathell
- Publication Details
- Polymeric materials science and engineering, Vol.91(fall)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Identifiers
- 991019170467304721