Reproduction and optical analysis of Morpho-inspired polymeric nanostructures. (11th May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tippets, Cary A; Fu, Yulan; Jackson, Anne-Martine; Donev, Eugenii U; Lopez, Rene
• Is Part Of: Journal of optics. Volume 18:Number 6(2016:Jun.)
• Publication Date: 2016-05-11
• Subjects: Morpho butterfly -- polymer replication -- bioinspired photonic crystals -- photonic nanostructures -- structural color; Optics -- Periodicals; 535.05
• DOI: 10.1088/2040-8978/18/6/065105
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2040-8978

Abstract

Abstract: The brilliant blue coloration of the Morpho rhetenor butterfly originates from complex nanostructures found on the surface of its wings. The Morpho butterfly exhibits strong short-wavelength reflection and a unique two-lobe optical signature in the incident ( θ ) and reflected ( ϕ ) angular space. Here, we report the large-area fabrication of a Morpho -like structure and its reproduction in perfluoropolyether. Reflection comparisons of periodic and quasi-random 'polymer butterfly' nanostructures show similar normal-incidence spectra but differ in the angular θ – ϕ dependence. The periodic sample shows strong specular reflection and simple diffraction. However, the quasi-random sample produces a two-lobe angular reflection pattern with minimal specular refection, approximating the real butterfly's optical behavior. Finite-difference time-domain simulations confirm that this pattern results from the quasi-random periodicity and highlights the significance of the inherent randomness in the Morpho 's photonic structure.