Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 27, 2026

A Guide to Structured Illumination TIRF Microscopy at High Speed with Multiple Colors
Published on: May 30, 2016
Rapid Fabrication of Noniridescent Structural Color Coatings with High Color Visibility, Good Structural Stability,
Fantao Meng1, Malik Muhammad Umair1, Kashif Iqbal2
1State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals , Dalian University of Technology , Dalian 116023 , P. R. China.
Abstract:
Artificial construction of amorphous photonic structures (APSs) is an important approach for obtaining noniridescent structural colors and shows a great potential for practical applications in paints, textile coloring, display, or other color-related fields. However, the structural colors are usually dim because of the influence of incoherent scattering, and the point contact among the microspheres leads to poor structural stability. This paper presents an innovative strategy for constructing noniridescent structural color coatings with high color visibility, good structural stability, and self-healing properties by combining APSs with polymers. Color visibility is significantly improved without the addition of black light-absorbing substances because of the inherent properties of polysulfide microspheres. At the same time, the introduction of waterborne polyurea in the system enhanced the structural stability and imparted the self-healing properties. The prepared coatings can be applied to various substrates and even to the coloration of soft fabrics, which not only achieves excellent performance but can also be easily patterned on the bulk scale.
Related Concept Videos
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...
Stability of structures
Color Vision
Structural Isomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly, SCN− can...
Structural Properties and Dimensions of Lumber
The strength characteristics of...
Structure and Physical Properties of Alkynes
In nature, compounds containing both carbon and hydrogen are known as "hydrocarbons". Aliphatic hydrocarbons are compounds whose molecules contain saturated single bonds (i.e., alkanes) or unsaturated double or triple bonds. Alkenes contain carbon–carbon double bonds and have a structural formula CnH2n. Unsaturated hydrocarbons containing carbon–carbon triple bonds are called "alkynes" and are structurally represented by the formula CnH2n-2.
The...

