Domain morphology, boundaries, and topological defects in biophotonic gyroid nanostructures of butterfly wing scales.

ABSTRACT: Many organisms in nature have evolved sophisticated cellular mechanisms to produce photonic nanostructures and, in recent years, diverse crystalline symmetries have been identified and related to macroscopic optical properties. However, because we know little about the distributions of domain sizes, the orientations of photonic crystals, and the nature of defects in these structures, we are unable to make the connection between the nanostructure and its development and functionality. We report on nondestructive studies of the morphology of chitinous photonic crystals in butterfly wing scales. Using spatially and angularly resolved x-ray diffraction, we find that the domains are highly oriented with respect to the whole scale, indicating growth from scale boundaries. X-ray coherent diffract

SUBMITTER: Singer A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4928966 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature