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Structural Color in Animals

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Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology

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Synonyms

Animal coloration; Biological photonic structures; Biological structural color; Bio-optics; Bio-photonics

Definition

Intense and bright colors result from the interaction of light with periodic micro- and nanostructures that cause color by interference, coherent scattering, or diffraction. These colors are termed structural colors, and structures that cause color by modulation of light are called photonic structures. Photonic structures are usually composed of regular lattices with periodicities on the order of the wavelength of light. Various organisms in nature are known to use intriguingly diverse photonic structures.

Introduction

Structural Colors and Photonic Structures

Structural colors in the animal kingdom have attracted increasing research interest in recent years. Biological organisms offer an enormous variety of periodic micro- and nanostructures that by specific interaction with light provide distinct coloration. This sometimes dynamic reflectivity is tailor-made...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 9 Oxford St, McKay 426, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Dr. Mathias Kolle

  2. Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratories, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK

    Dr. Ullrich Steiner

Authors
  1. Dr. Mathias Kolle
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  2. Dr. Ullrich Steiner
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mathias Kolle .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ohio Eminent Scholar and The Howard D. Winbigler Professor, Director, Nanoprobe Laboratory for Bio- & Nanotechnology and Biomimetics (NLB2), Ohio State University, 201 W. 19th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43210-1142, USA

    Bharat Bhushan

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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Kolle, M., Steiner, U. (2012). Structural Color in Animals. In: Bhushan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9751-4_384

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