Antireflective nanocoatings for UV-sensation: the case of predatory owlfly insects

Kryuchkov, Mikhail; Lehmann, Jannis; Schaab, Jakob; Fiebig, Manfred; Katanaev, Vladimir L.

doi:10.1186/s12951-017-0287-0

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…This is particularly true for insects living in low-light conditions, such as moths and other nocturnal insects, which feature similar nanopillars covering their facet lenses ( Figure 15C,D). [342][343][344][345] These so-called corneal nipple arrays optimize light flux into the eye and photon detection by the photoreceptors. As a positive side effect, the surface reflection of the eyes is minimized during daytime, suppressing a detectable reflection of the inactive insects by predators.…”

Section: Transparencymentioning

confidence: 99%

It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature: Functional Materials in Insects

2018

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Over the course of their wildly successful proliferation across the earth, the insects as a taxon have evolved enviable adaptations to their diverse habitats, which include adhesives, locomotor systems, hydrophobic surfaces, and sensors and actuators that transduce mechanical, acoustic, optical, thermal, and chemical signals. Insect‐inspired designs currently appear in a range of contexts, including antireflective coatings, optical displays, and computing algorithms. However, as over one million distinct and highly specialized species of insects have colonized nearly all habitable regions on the planet, they still provide a largely untapped pool of unique problem‐solving strategies. With the intent of providing materials scientists and engineers with a muse for the next generation of bioinspired materials, here, a selection of some of the most spectacular adaptations that insects have evolved is assembled and organized by function. The insects presented display dazzling optical properties as a result of natural photonic crystals, precise hierarchical patterns that span length scales from nanometers to millimeters, and formidable defense mechanisms that deploy an arsenal of chemical weaponry. Successful mimicry of these adaptations may facilitate technological solutions to as wide a range of problems as they solve in the insects that originated them.

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Section: Transparencymentioning

confidence: 99%

It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature: Functional Materials in Insects

2018

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“…Perhaps, the height of these structures is influenced by the organization of the underlying layers of chitin and chitosan [23]. The transition from one structure to another can be also detected within a short evolutionary period [24], or in different ommatidia of one insect [25,26], as well as on the corneal lens of one ommatidium, like on Tipulidae eyes [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Versatility of Turing patterns potentiates rapid evolution in tarsal attachment microstructures of stick and leaf insects (Phasmatodea)

Büscher

Kryuchkov

Katanaev

et al. 2018

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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In its evolution, the diverse group of stick and leaf insects (Phasmatodea) has undergone a rapid radiation. These insects evolved specialized structures to adhere to different surfaces typical for their specific ecological environments. The cuticle of their tarsal attachment pads (euplantulae) is known to possess a high diversity of attachment microstructures (AMS) which are suggested to reflect ecological specializations of different groups within phasmids. However, the origin of these microstructures and their developmental background remain largely unknown. Here, based on the detailed scanning electron microscopy study of pad surfaces, we present a theoretical approach to mathematically model an outstanding diversity of phasmid AMS using the reaction–diffusion model by Alan Turing. In general, this model explains pattern formation in nature. For the first time, we were able to identify eight principal patterns and simulate the transitions among these. In addition, intermediate transitional patterns were predicted by the model. The ease of transformation suggests a high adaptability of the microstructures that might explain the rapid evolution of pad characters. We additionally discuss the functional morphology of the different microstructures and their assumed advantages in the context of the ecological background of species.

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“…The surfaces of many insects are decorated with nanostructure topographies that control and determine specific physical and chemical properties. The wings and eyes of many insects—including cicadas and moths—have arrays of multimodal nanoscale cones and cylinders that are anti-reflective, anti-wetting, self-cleaning, and anti-microbial [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Insect cuticles are complex natural composite materials that are composed of a polysaccharide chitin fiber network and a matrix of proteins and lipids, and can potentially form through complex interactions during cuticle deposition [ 6 , 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanosphere Lithography of Chitin and Chitosan with Colloidal and Self-Masking Patterning

2018

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Complex surface topographies control, define, and determine the properties of insect cuticles. In some cases, these nanostructured materials are a direct extension of chitin-based cuticles. The cellular mechanisms that generate these elaborate chitin-based structures are unknown, and involve complicated cellular and biochemical “bottom-up” processes. We demonstrated that a synthetic “top-down” fabrication technique—nanosphere lithography—generates surfaces of chitin or chitosan that mimic the arrangement of nanostructures found on the surface of certain insect wings and eyes. Chitin and chitosan are flexible and biocompatible abundant natural polymers, and are a sustainable resource. The fabrication of nanostructured chitin and chitosan materials enables the development of new biopolymer materials. Finally, we demonstrated that another property of chitin and chitosan—the ability to self-assemble nanosilver particles—enables a novel and powerful new tool for the nanosphere lithographic method: the ability to generate a self-masking thin film. The scalability of the nanosphere lithographic technique is a major limitation; however, the silver nanoparticle self-masking enables a one-step thin-film cast or masking process, which can be used to generate nanostructured surfaces over a wide range of surfaces and areas.

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Antireflective nanocoatings for UV-sensation: the case of predatory owlfly insects

Cited by 14 publications

References 9 publications

It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature: Functional Materials in Insects

It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature: Functional Materials in Insects

Versatility of Turing patterns potentiates rapid evolution in tarsal attachment microstructures of stick and leaf insects (Phasmatodea)

Nanosphere Lithography of Chitin and Chitosan with Colloidal and Self-Masking Patterning

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