Strucutural Color Bio-Engineering by Replicating Morpho Wings

Abstract

Cover scales and ground scales are found to be responsible for the greenish blue color of Morpho menelaus. From simulation predictions, different colors can be engineered by controlled thickness coatings on surface of scales. By replicating the morphologies of scales with low-temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) methods, tunable colors are achieved successful by regulations of deposition cycles of Al2O3in the organic-inorganic hybrid structures. After removal of original structures by means of high temperatures, inverted nanostructures exhibiting colors sealed by Al2O3shell are fabricated. Simulation results of the hybrid and inverted structures are in accordance with experimental results well. The predictable spectra and the executable precisely controlled deposition by ALD provide us the potential of designing and constructing diversified structural colors.