Nanocolours: Correlating structure with function

Structural colours refer to colours generated by nanostructures, with the characteristic dimension of the structures on the wavelength of the visible ligh. Structural colouration occurs e.g., in CDs and DVDs, in soap bubbles or oil films on water, in butterfly wings and in the wings of the carpenter bee [2]. The physical fundamentals of structural colours comprise thin-film interference, multilayer interference, diffraction of light and diffraction gratings, photonic crystals and light scattering. No chemical dyes or pigments need to be involved in the generation of the colours it is all in the structure! Structural colours do not bleach. They can be functionalized and applied as sensors, e.g. in security, engineering and medicine. Correlation of elaborate natural nanostructures with their optical function inspires novel approaches in man-made structural colours, via biomimetics.