Structural coloration in nature

Sun, Jiyu; Bhushan, Bharat; Jin, Tao

doi:10.1039/c3ra41096j

Cited by 441 publications

(380 citation statements)

References 212 publications

(478 reference statements)

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“…Last, animal surfaces combine colour with a range of other desirable properties such as resistance to abrasion and bacterial degradation, water repellency (hydrophobicity) and photoprotection. All of these features are often desirable for artificial materials; thus, materials scientists and engineers increasingly draw on the diverse structural variation in nature to inspire new technologies and provide blueprints for materials design [6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

Section: Production Of Colourmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…structurally coloured) cosmetics, textiles, paints, various optical coatings, security labelling or anti-counterfeiting technologies (e.g. metallic holograms on credit cards and banknotes), optical devices that focus or polarize light, various sensors and technologies to improve the efficiency of solar cells [8,11]. Perhaps most famously, the structural properties of the iridescent blue wings of Morpho butterflies have been mimicked in the development of pigment-free cosmetics and iridescent blue 'Morphotexw' fabric ( figure 1a,b).…”

Section: Production Of Colourmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Animal coloration research: why it matters

Caro

Stoddard

Stuart‐Fox

2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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While basic research on animal coloration is the theme of this special edition, here we highlight its applied significance for industry, innovation and society. Both the nanophotonic structures producing stunning optical effects and the colour perception mechanisms in animals are extremely diverse, having been honed over millions of years of evolution for many different purposes. Consequently, there is a wealth of opportunity for biomimetic and bioinspired applications of animal coloration research, spanning colour production, perception and function. Fundamental research on the production and perception of animal coloration is contributing to breakthroughs in the design of new materials (cosmetics, textiles, paints, optical coatings, security labels) and new technologies (cameras, sensors, optical devices, robots, biomedical implants). In addition, discoveries about the function of animal colour are influencing sport, fashion, the military and conservation. Understanding and applying knowledge of animal coloration is now a multidisciplinary exercise. Our goal here is to provide a catalyst for new ideas and collaborations between biologists studying animal coloration and researchers in other disciplines.

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Section: Production Of Colourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Production Of Colourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal coloration research: why it matters

Caro

Stoddard

Stuart‐Fox

2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…The remarkable displays of insects have long fascinated biologists, physicists, and natural philosophers alike, including Newton, Darwin, and Rayleigh. [277] Numerous recent reviews discuss the physical aspects of insect displays, [273,[277][278][279][280][281][282][283][284][285][286] as well as their function in animal communication. [275,276,287] In general, there are two main classes of animal coloration: pigmentary coloration due to the wavelength-selective light absorption by chemical dyes and structural coloration due to the interaction of incident light with ordered, quasi-ordered or disordered nanostructures causing interference.…”

Section: Mechanisms Of Color Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature: Functional Materials in Insects

2018

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Over the course of their wildly successful proliferation across the earth, the insects as a taxon have evolved enviable adaptations to their diverse habitats, which include adhesives, locomotor systems, hydrophobic surfaces, and sensors and actuators that transduce mechanical, acoustic, optical, thermal, and chemical signals. Insect‐inspired designs currently appear in a range of contexts, including antireflective coatings, optical displays, and computing algorithms. However, as over one million distinct and highly specialized species of insects have colonized nearly all habitable regions on the planet, they still provide a largely untapped pool of unique problem‐solving strategies. With the intent of providing materials scientists and engineers with a muse for the next generation of bioinspired materials, here, a selection of some of the most spectacular adaptations that insects have evolved is assembled and organized by function. The insects presented display dazzling optical properties as a result of natural photonic crystals, precise hierarchical patterns that span length scales from nanometers to millimeters, and formidable defense mechanisms that deploy an arsenal of chemical weaponry. Successful mimicry of these adaptations may facilitate technological solutions to as wide a range of problems as they solve in the insects that originated them.

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“…have produced an excellent review of the different kinds of colors structures, and have also described attempts at mimicking. 87 The coloration of mimicked structures will, as in the natural case, arise through common physical mechanisms such as thin film or multilayer interference, diffraction gratings, scattering (coherent and incoherent) and photonic crystals etc., depending on the composition of the building blocks.…”

Section: Biomimic and Metamaterialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of materials for spectral design coatings in signature management applications

Andersson

Åkerlind

2014

SPIE Proceedings

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The current focus in Swedish policy towards national security and high-end technical systems, together with a rapid development in multispectral sensor technology, adds to the utility of developing advanced materials for spectral design in signature management applications. A literature study was performed probing research databases for advancements. Qualitative text analysis was performed using a six-indicator instrument: spectrally selective reflectance; low gloss; low degree of polarization; low infrared emissivity; non-destructive properties in radar and in general controllability of optical properties. Trends are identified and the most interesting materials and coating designs are presented with relevant performance metrics. They are sorted into categories in the order of increasing complexity: pigments and paints, one-dimensional structures, multidimensional structures (including photonic crystals), and lastly biomimic and metamaterials. The military utility of the coatings is assessed qualitatively. The need for developing a framework for assessing the military utility of incrementally increasing the performance of spectrally selective coatings is identified.

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Structural coloration in nature

Cited by 441 publications

References 212 publications

Animal coloration research: why it matters

Animal coloration research: why it matters

It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature: Functional Materials in Insects

A review of materials for spectral design coatings in signature management applications

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