Tunable three-dimensional ZrO2 photonic crystals replicated from single butterfly wing scales

Nature generates 150 000 to 200 000 Lepidoptera species (butterflies and moths). Each has more than one kind of wing scales with three dimensional complicated sub-microstructures. We hereby manipulate the original individual single wing scales (SWSs) of tropical butterfly M. didius and replicate them using ZrO2. The micro-zone reflectance spectrum and the angle dependent properties of M. didius's cover scales (with reflective index 1.56) are first studied. New optical properties (red structural colors) are observed. Then, we synthesize their ZrO2 SWS replicas (with nominal reflective index 2.12) using these SWSs as bio-templates. Results indicate that an SWS located on the M. didius wing is a highly anisotropic photonic crystal (PC) and exhibits a “prism effect”. Since one butterfly wing can supply more than 100 000 wing scales, this work presents a potential route for large-scale production of small complex photonic devices using SWS as building blocks, and can broaden present practical model pool for the PC research.

[1]  J. R. Sambles,et al.  Structural colour: Colour mixing in wing scales of a butterfly , 2000, Nature.

[2]  S Enoch,et al.  Morpho butterflies wings color modeled with lamellar grating theory. , 2001, Optics express.

[3]  D. L. Wood,et al.  Refractive index of cubic zirconia stabilized with yttria. , 1982, Applied optics.

[4]  John,et al.  Strong localization of photons in certain disordered dielectric superlattices. , 1987, Physical review letters.

[5]  Qixin Guo,et al.  Biomimetic zinc oxide replica with structural color using butterfly (Ideopsis similis) wings as templates , 2006, Bioinspiration & biomimetics.

[6]  Tongxiang Fan,et al.  Iridescent large-area ZrO2 photonic crystals using butterfly as templates , 2009 .

[7]  Shuichi Kinoshita,et al.  Photophysics of Structural Color in the Morpho Butterflies , 2002 .

[8]  Di Zhang,et al.  ZnO single butterfly wing scales: synthesis and spatial optical anisotropy , 2011 .

[9]  T Eisner,et al.  Ultraviolet Reflection of a Male Butterfly: Interference Color Caused by Thin-Layer Elaboration of Wing Scales , 1972, Science.

[10]  C. W. Mason,et al.  Structural Colors in Insects. II , 1926 .

[11]  Zhong Lin Wang,et al.  Controlled replication of butterfly wings for achieving tunable photonic properties. , 2006, Nano letters.

[12]  Di Zhang,et al.  Fabrication of ZnO microtubes with adjustable nanopores on the walls by the templating of butterfly wing scales , 2006 .

[13]  A. Parker,et al.  Aphrodite's iridescence , 2001 .

[14]  Qixin Guo,et al.  Morphosynthesis of hierarchical ZnO replica using butterfly wing scales as templates , 2006 .

[15]  L. Plattner.  Optical properties of the scales of Morpho rhetenor butterflies: theoretical and experimental investigation of the back-scattering of light in the visible spectrum , 2004, Journal of The Royal Society Interface.

[16]  Shuichi Kinoshita,et al.  Wavelength–selective and anisotropic light–diffusing scale on the wing of the Morpho butterfly , 2004, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

[17]  E. Yablonovitch,et al.  Inhibited spontaneous emission in solid-state physics and electronics. , 1987, Physical review letters.

[18]  L. Biró,et al.  Role of photonic-crystal-type structures in the thermal regulation of a Lycaenid butterfly sister species pair. , 2003, Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics.

[19]  Krisztián Kertész,et al.  Gleaming and dull surface textures from photonic-crystal-type nanostructures in the butterfly Cyanophrys remus. , 2006, Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics.

[20]  Hiroshi Ogawa,et al.  Novel Photoanode Structure Templated from Butterfly Wing Scales , 2009 .

[21]  Di Zhang,et al.  Synthesis of Cu-doped WO3 materials with photonic structures for high performance sensors , 2010 .

[22]  Saswatee Banerjee,et al.  Optical Characterization of Iridescent Wings of Morpho Butterflies using a High Accuracy Nonstandard Finite-Difference Time-Domain Algorithm , 2007 .

[23]  Andrew R. Parker,et al.  Biomimetics of photonic nanostructures. , 2007, Nature nanotechnology.

[24]  Andrew R. Parker,et al.  515 million years of structural colour , 2000 .

[25]  Jean-Pol Vigneron,et al.  Photonic nanoarchitectures in butterflies and beetles: valuable sources for bioinspiration , 2011 .

[26]  Radislav A. Potyrailo,et al.  Morpho butterfly wing scales demonstrate highly selective vapour response , 2007 .

[27]  D. L. Fox.  Animal biochromes and structural colours : physical, chemical, distributional & physiological features of coloured bodies in the animal world , 1953 .

[28]  Eric O. Potma,et al.  Cover Picture: Direct Visualization of Lipid Phase Segregation in Single Lipid Bilayers with Coherent Anti‐Stokes Raman Scattering Microscopy (ChemPhysChem 1/2005) , 2005 .

[29]  Shuichi Kinoshita,et al.  Structural colors in the realm of nature , 2008 .

[30]  Te-Hua Fang,et al.  Replication of butterfly wing microstructures using molding lithography , 2010 .

[31]  J. Gardner,et al.  Study of natural photonic crystals in beetle scales and their conversion into inorganic structures via a sol–gel bio-templating route , 2010 .

[32]  A. Parker,et al.  A review of the diversity and evolution of photonic structures in butterflies, incorporating the work of John Huxley (The Natural History Museum, London from 1961 to 1990) , 2008, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.