Biomimetic reflectors fabricated using self-organising, self-aligning liquid crystal polymers.

Matranga, Ariosto; Baig, Sarwat; Boland, Jessica; Newton, Christopher; Taphouse, Timothy; Wells, Gary; Kitson, Stephen · Adv Mater · 2013

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The photograph shows a polymer reflector that mimics the colour and underlying molecular structure of a golden beetle. It is formed from self-organizing layers of photopolymerised liquid crystal. These require an aligning layer, but we show that a layer of the material can be used as to self-align subsequent coatings, enabling the construction of complex structures by sequential coating of engineered materials.

Medical subject headings