Photonic Structures for Coloration in the Biological World - Bioinspiration: From Nano to Micro Scales - page 322

production may be the interplay among interference, diffraction, and scattering,
which could obstacle considerably the finding of ultimate physical mechanisms.
Moreover, the combination of these optical effects may even lead to new optical phe-
nomena. For example, complicated photonic band structures occurring in photonic
crystals are due to the combination of these optical effects. The ultimate physical
cause of iridescent structural coloration in photonic crystals is direction-dependent
partial photonic band gaps [ 124 , 126 , 128 , 137 ]. In amorphous photonic crystals,
on the other side, isotropic photonic pseudogaps are the ultimate physical cause of
non-iridescent structural coloration [ 148 , 149 ].
Nature usually takes the strategy of maximal achievement at minimal cost.
As a result of evolution, photonic structures exploited in the biological world
may be optimal in the sense of their biological, physical, or even physiological
functions. Natural photonic structures in step with their coloration strategies are a
valuable source of inspiration. In recent years, there has been a growing interest
in biomimetic and bio-inspired design [ 163 - 166 ]. The use of structural color is
environmentally promising since it bypasses the need for chemical pigments, which
are often toxic. Bio-inspired photonic structures and structural colors may have
potential applications in a variety of industries such as photonics, display, painting,
and textile. Natural photonic structures and the ingenious ways of light steering may
have been a great source of inspiration in our design and fabrication of new optical
materials and devices for future technological applications.
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