Photonic band gap materials in butterfly scales: A possible source of “blueprints”

The color generating nanoarchitectures in the cover scales of the blue (dorsal)–green (ventral) wing surfaces of the butterfly Albulina metallica were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. A layered, quasiordered structure was revealed in both the dorsal and ventral scales, with different order parameters, associated with their different colors. A successful attempt was made to reproduce the biological structure in the form of a quasiordered composite (SiO/(In & SiO)) multilayer structure using standard thin film deposition techniques. The position of the reflectance maxima of this artificial structure could be tailored by controlling the size of the In inclusions through oxidation. Our results show that photonic band gap materials of biologic origin may constitute valuable blueprints for artificial structures.