A low-cost, high-efficiency light absorption structure inspired by the Papilio ulysses butterfly

Abstract

The nano-hole array structure in the black scales of the butterfly can be viewed as a natural solar collector. A low-cost, high-efficiency light absorption structure, inspired by the Papilio ulysses butterfly, was optimized using a finite-difference time-domain method. The results show that the nano-hole structure of Papilio ulysses contributes to light absorption. The shape of the holes affects the angular dependence of absorption. The absorption efficiency was found to be strongly affected by three parameters: H (the depth of the hole), D (the thickness of the hole-wall) and L (the size of the hole). These parameters were swept together in numerous simulations. The optimized nano-hole array saves 84% more material than a thin film of equal absorption (90%) at a wavelength of 600 nm.

Sub‐micrometer insights into the cytoskeletal dynamics and ultrastructural diversity of butterfly wing scales

“…These scales appear matte black, and are thus functionally tuned for anti‐reflectance. Other reports have studied the biophysics of light‐trapping by analogous scale structures, and converge in the finding that highly ordered structures are required for light manipulation . Our measurements of over 250 black scales recapitulate the finding that orderedness of scale ultrastructures, particularly crossrib width and spacing, is linked to light trapping in matte black scale types.…”

“…5 Wing patterns are made of hundreds of thousands of scales that derive their color from pigments, ultrastructure, or a combination of the two. 6,7 Scale structures interact with light through a variety of mechanisms that have been described from a biophysical perspective, 8 including light-trapping black, [9][10][11] light polarization, 12 high-reflectance, 13 transparency, 14 and color-selective iridescence. [15][16][17][18][19] For instance, the coherent light-scattering features of Morpho butterflies reflect specific wavelengths, producing their characteristic blue iridescence.…”

Comparative study on nanostructured order–disorder in the wing eyespots of the giant owl butterfly,Caligo memnon

“…Indeed, to date, practical solutions for trapping light make use of disordered photonic materials, employing either disordered gratings or rough surfaces. From the above analysis, a possible explanation for the blackness and light absorption on the C. memnon wing eyespot could come from the nanostructured order-disorder similar to what is observed in other species [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. Yet, the presence of melanin pigment found on the eyespot of the C. memnon also contributes to the blackness of the wing eyespot.…”

“…From the above analysis, a possible explanation for the blackness and light absorption on the C. memnon wing eyespot could come from the nanostructured order–disorder similar to what is observed in other species [23–30]. Yet, the presence of melanin pigment found on the eyespot of the C. memnon also contributes to the blackness of the wing eyespot.…”

Frontiers of light manipulation in natural, metallic, and dielectric nanostructures

“…5a) scatter incident radiation towards the interior of the structure, increasing the optical path length throughout the diffusely distributed pigmentation of the substrate [58], resulting in a remarkable lowering of back-reflection. Wang et al [59,60] studied, by means of finite difference time domain (FDTD) method, the omnidirectional absorption induced on incident optical radiation by a disordered nano-hole structure with ridges inspired by P. ulysses, proving its stability at different polarizations and wavelengths.…”