Researchers at ETH Zurich have effectively 3D print color spectrum of nanostructures inspired by butterfly wings.
Abstract of the Study
Structures with multilayer gratings, such as those seen on the wings of the butterfly Cynandra opis, can interact with light to produce structural coloring. When lighted and viewed from specific angles, such structural color exhibits outstanding purity and brightness. To get a better understanding of the mechanism of structural coloring, two-photon laser lithography is employed to create bioinspired 3D Print color spectrum bigrating nanostructures, the optical characteristics of which can be manipulated by varying the height and period of the grating features. Specific feature dimensions are discovered herein using both spectral measurements and finite-element method simulations, which yield good spectral characteristics and great color purity throughout the whole visible range due to the combined effects of multilayer interference and diffraction. Furthermore, it is shown that change in feature period and/or height has an important effect in influencing both color and purity. Importantly, such tuneable bigrating structures have a lot of uses in color filtering.
About ETH Zurich
As a university of science and technology, ETH Zurich is committed to the study of a diverse range of subjects, which allows knowledge to be shared and combined in original and future-oriented ways. The sixteen departments cover a broad academic spectrum, while all kinds of strategic initiatives, competence centres and networks encourage cross-disciplinary cooperation.
ETH Zurich regularly features in international rankings as one of the best universities in the world and the leading university in continental Europe. When the rankings are differentiated by specialist area, ETH Zurich is in the first twelve for Science and Engineering in the THE and QS listings.
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