Artificial optical nanostructure outperforms butterfly wings - physicsworld.com
An artificial material with the eye-catching optical properties of the Callophrys rubi butterfly has been created by researchers in Australia. Using a special lithography technique, the team was able to make photonic "gyroid" nanostructures similar to those found in the butterfly's wings. The artificial structures, which outperform their natural counterpart in many ways, could find use in a variety of photonics and optics technologies.