Towards replication of the exoskeleton of Lamprocyphus augustus for photonic applications

Akhlesh Lakhtakia; Raúl J. Martín-Palma; Carlo G. Pantano

doi:10.1117/12.823409

21 August 2009 Towards replication of the exoskeleton of Lamprocyphus augustus for photonic applications

Akhlesh Lakhtakia, Raúl J. Martín-Palma, Carlo G. Pantano

Proceedings Volume 7401, Biomimetics and Bioinspiration; 74010H (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.823409
Event: SPIE NanoScience + Engineering, 2009, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The characteristic brilliant green iridescence of beetles of the species Lamprocyphus augustus arises from the elaborate multidomain photonic structure of its exoskeleton. The conformal-evaporated-film-by-rotation (CEFR) technique was used to conformally coat the exoskeletons of L. augustus specimen with GeO_x thin films. The exoskeletal surface structure was found to be accurately replicated at the micro-scale by the coatings. Moreover, the reflectance spectrums of an uncoated exoskeleton and a conformally coated exoskeleton turned out to display comparable overall characteristics in the visible and the near-infrared regimes, confirming that the structure of the exoskeleton was replicated with high fidelity by the coating, thus preserving its optical functionality. An attempt to fabricate a freestanding replica of an exoskeleton by immersion of a coated exoskeleton in an aqueous solution of orthophosphoric acid yielded encouraging results.

Citation Download Citation

Akhlesh Lakhtakia, Raúl J. Martín-Palma, and Carlo G. Pantano "Towards replication of the exoskeleton of Lamprocyphus augustus for photonic applications", Proc. SPIE 7401, Biomimetics and Bioinspiration, 74010H (21 August 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.823409

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