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Linear liquid responses of Morpho butterfly structural color: Experiment and modeling

  • Published:
Wuhan University Journal of Natural Sciences

Abstract

This paper investigates the selective liquid response for Morpho didius butterfly wing scales and propose an optical model to explain the effect of different components on the liquid response. It is found out that the reason of the selective response is that the liquid media forms nanometre-thick films between ridge-lamellae nanostructures and changes the constructive interference wavelength. There is linear relation between the structural color of ridge-lamellae structure and index of liquid background media. The reason of vapor’s responses is that the nanometre-thick liquid films on ridge-lamellae nanostructures change the constructive interference wavelength. These liquid films are formed due to vapor adsorption. Therefore, the selective linear liquid response can be applied to design nano-engineered photonic liquid and vapor sensors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Modern Manufacture Quality Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, Hubei, China

    Wenjun Wu & Hengfeng Xie

  2. State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, China

    Guanglan Liao, Tielin Shi & Lei Nie

Authors
  1. Wenjun Wu
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  2. Hengfeng Xie
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  3. Guanglan Liao
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  4. Tielin Shi
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  5. Lei Nie
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wenjun Wu.

Additional information

Foundation item: Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51305129) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (Q20151411)

Biography: WU Wenjun, female, Ph.D., Lecturer, research direction: measurement & control technology and instruments.

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Wu, W., Xie, H., Liao, G. et al. Linear liquid responses of Morpho butterfly structural color: Experiment and modeling. Wuhan Univ. J. Nat. Sci. 21, 473–481 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11859-016-1199-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11859-016-1199-9

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