A Photo-Curing Method to Prepare Biomimetic Micro-Nano Structure of Butterfly Wing Scale

Abstract:

It has been well-known that butterfly wings possess interesting optic properties. Recently, dendritic micro-nanostructure has been found in the wing scales of butterfly Trogonoptera brookiana, which shows excellent light-trapping effect, especially for the visible light. When light enters such a dendritic micro-nanostructure, it will be trapped and eventually absorbed by multiple reflections to generate heat. It is desirable to prepare a biomimetic structure resembling the micro-nanostructure of the butterfly wing scale, which may lead to a new material that can potentially improve the light utilization rate of solar thermal heater and other similar applications. However, a convenient method to make such a structure in large scale is still lacking. Herein, an easy and handy approach has been developed to prepare biomimetic dendritic structure. The starting material is negative photoresist, a chemical reagent which is widely used in photography. A simple device that can adjust the intensity and interval of ultraviolet illumination has been designed and set up. A periodic structure has been achieved via photo-curing with ultraviolet light and the ratio of illumination time has been optimized.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volumes 713-715)
• Pages: 2576-2580
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.713-715.2576
• Online since: January 2015
• Authors: Wei Wang, Gang Wang, Ping She, Hang Sun, Zhen Ning Liu*
• Keywords: Biomimetic, Butterfly Wing Scale, Micro-Nanostructure, Negative Photoresist, Photo-Curing

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