transparence

Physics of Structural Coloration Jean Pol Vigneron Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique Cinnyris prigoginei Prigogine's Sunbird

Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, Namur

Research Center in Physics of Matter and Radiation (PMR)

Life-induced Photonics Group

Chrysina resplendens (Cedric Vandenbem) Avoiding iridescence Infrared mirror

Green mirror

Red mirror

More on this : see Cedric Vandenbem

Bouligand structure: circular polarization

Cocytia d’Urvillei (Arctiidae)

Irian-Jaya Indonesia Clear-winged day-flying moth There is, in the island of Java, a moth which succeeds in solving an extraordinarily difficult and important problem : antireflection and self-cleaning (see photovoltaic panels, which should not reflect light and keep clean)

Clear wings surface structure

Array of upright cylinders on the wing surfaces.

Purpose ?

• (1) Anti-reflection coating • (2) Superhydrophobicity

Natural superhydrophobicity The wings achieve a low light reflectance AND hydrophobic (self-cleaning) properties with the same optimized structure