Vukusic Pete, Sambles J Roy
Thin Film Photonics, School of Physics, Exeter University, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK.
Nature. 2003 Aug 14;424(6950):852-5. doi: 10.1038/nature01941.
Millions of years before we began to manipulate the flow of light using synthetic structures, biological systems were using nanometre-scale architectures to produce striking optical effects. An astonishing variety of natural photonic structures exists: a species of Brittlestar uses photonic elements composed of calcite to collect light, Morpho butterflies use multiple layers of cuticle and air to produce their striking blue colour and some insects use arrays of elements, known as nipple arrays, to reduce reflectivity in their compound eyes. Natural photonic structures are providing inspiration for technological applications.
在我们开始使用合成结构来操控光的流动的数百万年前，生物系统就已经在利用纳米级别的架构来产生引人注目的光学效果了。自然界存在着种类惊人的天然光子结构：一种海蛇尾利用由方解石构成的光子元件来收集光线，闪蝶利用多层表皮和空气来呈现其醒目的蓝色，一些昆虫利用被称为乳突阵列的元件阵列来降低其复眼中的反射率。天然光子结构正为技术应用提供灵感。
