Principal Investigator Michael Rubner
Some colors in nature do not come from material's inherent properties, but are as a result of light interference. This kind of color, called 'structural color,' can be seen in some species such as butterflies and beetles. We are investigating the methods and conditions for creating structural color using layer-by-layer assembly of various nanoparticles. By building alternating layers of nanoparticles with low and high refractive indices, it is possible to obtain high reflectance with any color. With optical simulation programs, we are able to design nanoparticle assembly and obtain any color with more than 90% reflectance. The ultimate goal is to control the angle-dependence of the reflectance and to create omni-directional structural color by a layer-by-layer assembly process.