Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 3, 2026
05:51
Large Area Substrate-Based Nanofabrication of Controllable and Customizable Gold Nanoparticles Via Capped Dewetting
Published on: February 26, 2019
6.2K
Bio-inspired, large scale, highly-scattering films for nanoparticle-alternative white surfaces
Julia Syurik1, Radwanul Hasan Siddique2, Antje Dollmann1
1Institute for Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, 76344, Germany.
Scientific Reports
|April 22, 2017
Summary
Researchers created ultra-thin, white polymer films inspired by beetle shells. These bio-inspired materials achieve exceptional whiteness and reflectance, even at minimal thickness, for diverse applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomimetics
- Optics
Background:
- The white beetle genus Cyphochilus exhibits remarkable natural whiteness due to its unique porous cuticle structure.
- Understanding natural structures can inspire the development of advanced synthetic materials with tailored optical properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate ultra-thin, highly white films using polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) inspired by the Cyphochilus beetle.
- To optimize film properties for broad-band reflectance and exceptional whiteness.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of porous PMMA films using carbon dioxide (CO2) saturation foaming.
- Optimization of pore diameter and fraction to enhance reflectance.
- Characterization of film thickness, whiteness, reflectance, and transport mean free path.
Main Results:
- Achieved ultra-thin PMMA films with exceptional whiteness and high broad-band reflectance.
- Films with a 60 µm scattering layer showed 90% reflectance; even 9 µm layers achieved over 57% reflectance.
- The fabricated films exhibit a transport mean free path (3.5–4 µm) comparable to the natural beetle prototype.
Conclusions:
- Bio-inspired PMMA films offer a promising route to highly efficient, ultra-thin white materials.
- The optimized porous structure mimics natural whiteness mechanisms, enabling significant reflectance at minimal thickness.
- The films maintain their whiteness after further processing, indicating suitability for various applications.
