11.03 -11.04

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/06/20/20100620Butterflies0620.html

11.03
Butterfly wings are so synonymous with bold color that few people may wonder what makes them that way. But Yale University researchers studying the green color on the wings of five butterfly species have found the source of that striking color - three- dimensional crystals known ...


Vinodkumar Saranathan, co-author of the study, took a stab: "Imagine a maze of these pinwheels, hundreds of thousands of pinwheels connected in all directions."

11.04

The team surmised that the wing cells weave in and out among themselves, so that the external surfaces become internal, creating channels in which a material called chitin can be deposited. Chitin is the hard material that forms insect exoskeletons; when the cells die and decay, the chitin is left behind as a gyroid, making the wings a vivid green. Not all butterflies employ such complex structures to make their colors; others use simpler structures or pigmentation.

...

Structural colors of all types are appealing to textile and cosmetic manufacturers because they're fade-resistant.
They're also responsible for iridescence, and are used in products such as holographic wrapping paper and CDs.

Gyroids, however, are too complex for current fabrication processes, so manufacturers are keen to mimic the butterflies' method for producing them. Not only could they be used to create vibrantly hued textiles, gyroids respond to light much like wires transmit electricity, so the potential technological applications could be enormous.

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Because butterflies create such stucyure naturally, the findings suggest that technological developments wouldn't have to come at an enormous enviromental cost.

"These guys can make all the stuff at room temperature without toxic chemicals," said university of Albany biologist Helen Chiradella, whose prior work ion stuctural color had impact on this study. "The biological systems are showing us it can be done."