PIXABAY, UNSPLASH
Behind the bright and iridescent coloration of many exotic bird feathers are precise arrangements of nanoparticles called melanosomes. Because they contain the natural pigment melanin, arrangements of these particles can reflect specific wavelengths of light while absorbing others; the result is a narrow range of reflected wavelengths and hues called structural colors. As researchers from the University of Akron in Ohio and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), reported in the American Chemical Society’s ACS Nano earlier this month (May 4), assemblies of synthetic nanospheres containing melanin can mimic this process, creating highly pure colors, which could be useful for optical sensors or protective coatings.
“Instead of having two components to mix, you have one component. That’s innovative and really cool,” ornithologist Richard Prum ...
