Topology of Minimal Surface Biophotonic Nanostructures in Arthropods

Saranathan, Vinodkumar

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-76596-9_11

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 116 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Biological photonic nanostructures--integumentary structures that scatter incident light--are a key evolutionary innovation [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]; they produce the most vibrant, highly saturated colours known in biological systems and can manipulate the directionality [9,13] and polarization properties [14,15] of scattered light. Such nanostructures are distributed broadly in extant insects and vary in their complexity, ranging from relatively simple multilayer reflectors to more complex three-dimensional architectures that include amorphous networks and highly ordered crystals [10,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. In insects, three-dimensional photonic nanostructures occur exclusively in scale-bearing taxa [10,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23], principally Lepidoptera [16,24,25], weevils [26,27], longhorn beetles [28,29] and, occasionally, scarabs [30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such nanostructures are distributed broadly in extant insects and vary in their complexity, ranging from relatively simple multilayer reflectors to more complex three-dimensional architectures that include amorphous networks and highly ordered crystals [10,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. In insects, three-dimensional photonic nanostructures occur exclusively in scale-bearing taxa [10,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23], principally Lepidoptera [16,24,25], weevils [26,27], longhorn beetles [28,29] and, occasionally, scarabs [30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Brilliant angle-independent structural colours preserved in weevil scales from the Swiss Pleistocene

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Extant weevils exhibit a remarkable colour palette that ranges from muted monochromatic tones to rainbow-like iridescence, with the most vibrant colours produced by three-dimensional photonic nanostructures housed within cuticular scales. Although the optical properties of these nanostructures are well understood, their evolutionary history is not fully resolved, in part due to a poor knowledge of their fossil record. Here, we report three-dimensional photonic nanostructures preserved in brightly coloured scales of two weevils, belonging to the genus Phyllobius or Polydrusus , from the Pleistocene (16–10 ka) of Switzerland. The scales display vibrant blue, green and yellow hues that resemble those of extant Phyllobius/Polydrusus . Scanning electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering analyses reveal that the subfossil scales possess a single-diamond photonic crystal nanostructure. In extant Phyllobius/Polydrusus , the near-angle-independent blue and green hues function primarily in crypsis. The preservation of far-field, angle-independent structural colours in the Swiss subfossil weevils and their likely function in substrate matching confirm the importance of investigating fossil and subfossil photonic nanostructures to understand the evolutionary origins and diversification of colours and associated behaviours (e.g. crypsis) in insects.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brilliant angle-independent structural colours preserved in weevil scales from the Swiss Pleistocene

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Photonic Amorphous I‐WP‐Like Networks Create Angle‐Independent Colors inSternotomis virescensLonghorn Beetles

Bauernfeind

Djeghdi

Gunkel

et al. 2023

Adv Funct Materials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Structural color originates from the interference of light with periodic structures that feature characteristic length scales on the order of the wavelength of visible light. Long‐range order in photonic structures usually causes iridescence, and increasing disorder renders colors angle‐independent. Random disorder distributes scattering intensity over all wavelengths, producing white in the absence of absorption. Various non‐iridescent, vivid color patterns are found in Sternotomini longhorn beetles. Herein, Sternotomis virescens is investigated, where elytral scales produce a green‐blue color pattern on otherwise black elytra. Combining focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB‐SEM) tomography, ultra‐small‐angle X‐ray scattering (USAXS), structural modeling, and full‐wave optical simulations, it is found that the color originates from amorphous photonic networks based on sub‐units resembling the I‐WP unit cell, a triply‐periodic minimal surface with body‐centered‐cubic symmetry. This work provides insights into how quasi‐order produces stable colors in S. virescens longhorn beetles, highlights the advantages of volumetric imaging using FIB‐SEM tomography of porous nanostructured materials, and raises interesting questions about the formation mechanisms of amorphous structures in vivo.

show abstract

Not only a matter of disorder in I-WP minimal surface-based photonic networks: Diffusive structural color in Sternotomis amabilis longhorn beetles

Bauernfeind,

Saranathan,

Djeghdi

et al. 2024

Materials Today Advances

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Topology of Minimal Surface Biophotonic Nanostructures in Arthropods

Cited by 3 publications

References 116 publications

Brilliant angle-independent structural colours preserved in weevil scales from the Swiss Pleistocene

Brilliant angle-independent structural colours preserved in weevil scales from the Swiss Pleistocene

Photonic Amorphous I‐WP‐Like Networks Create Angle‐Independent Colors inSternotomis virescensLonghorn Beetles

Not only a matter of disorder in I-WP minimal surface-based photonic networks: Diffusive structural color in Sternotomis amabilis longhorn beetles

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About