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Updated: May 7, 2026

Using Microwave and Macroscopic Samples of Dielectric Solids to Study the Photonic Properties of Disordered Photonic Bandgap Materials

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Published on: September 26, 2014

Amorphous photonic crystals with only short-range order.

Lei Shi¹, Yafeng Zhang, Biqin Dong

¹Department of Physics, Key Laboratory of Micro & Nano Photonic Structures (MOE) and Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

|October 4, 2013

Summary

Amorphous photonic crystals, lacking long-range order, exhibit unique optical properties like tunable colors and light localization. This review covers their fabrication, bionic inspiration, and applications.

Keywords:

amorphous photonic crystal localization photonic bandgap short-range order structural color

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Optics
Condensed Matter Physics

Background:

Conventional photonic crystals rely on long-range order for optical properties.
Amorphous photonic crystals possess only short-range order, leading to distinct optical behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

To summarize recent advances in amorphous photonic crystals.
To highlight their unique optical properties, fabrication, and applications.

Main Methods:

Review of experimental and theoretical studies.
Analysis of light scattering and transport phenomena.

Main Results:

Amorphous photonic crystals display isotropic photonic bandgaps/pseudogaps.
They enable noniridescent structural colors and light localization.

Conclusions:

Amorphous photonic crystals offer unique optical functionalities.
Potential applications span various technological fields.