Research & Development World

  • Home Page
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Archeology
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Market Pulse
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Battery Technology
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Semiconductors
  • Controlled Environments
    • Cleanrooms
    • Graphene
    • Lasers
    • Regulations/Standards
    • Sensors
  • Scientific Computing
    • Big Data
    • HPC/Supercomputing
    • Informatics
    • Security
    • Software
  • R&D 100 Awards
    • ENTER NOW
    • 2020 Winners
    • Winner Archive
    • R&D 100 Conference
  • Resources
    • Digital Issues
    • Podcasts
    • Subscribe
  • 2021 Funding Forecast
  • COVID-19

Fish-Inspired Material Changes Color Using Nanocolumns

By North Carolina State University | March 21, 2019

Inspired by the flashing colors of the neon tetra fish, researchers have developed a technique for changing the color of a material by manipulating the orientation of nanostructured columns in the material. Credit: Zhiren Luo, NC State University

Inspired by the flashing colors of the neon tetra fish, researchers have developed a technique for changing the color of a material by manipulating the orientation of nanostructured columns in the material.

“Neon tetras can control their brightly colored stripes by changing the angle of tiny platelets in their skin,” says Chih-Hao Chang, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University and corresponding author of a paper on the work.

“For this proof-of-concept study, we’ve created a material that demonstrates a similar ability,” says Zhiren Luo, a Ph.D. student at NC State and first author of the paper. “Specifically, we’ve shown that we can shift the material’s color by using a magnetic field to change the orientation of an array of nanocolumns.”

The color-changing material has four layers. A silicon substrate is coated with a polymer that has been embedded with iron oxide nanoparticles. The polymer incorporates a regular array of micron-wide pedestals, making the polymer layer resemble a LEGO® brick. The middle layer is an aqueous solution containing free-floating iron oxide nanoparticles. This solution is held in place by a transparent polymer cover.

When a vertical magnetic field is applied beneath the substrate, it pulls the floating nanoparticles into columns, aligned over the pedestals. By changing the orientation of the magnetic field, researchers can change the orientation of the nanoparticle columns. Changing the angle of the columns shifts the wavelength of light that is most strongly reflected by the material; in practical terms, the material changes color.

“For example, we were able to change the perceived color of the material from dark green to neon yellow,” Luo says.

“You can change the baseline color of the material by controlling the array of the pedestals on the polymer substrate,” Chang says. “Next steps for us include fine-tuning the geometry of the column arrays to improve the purity of the colors. We are also planning to work on the development of integrated electromagnets that would allow for more programmable color shifts.”

The researchers are working toward the goal of developing applications ranging from reflective displays to dynamic camouflage.

The paper, “Magnetically Actuated Dynamic Iridescence Inspired by the Neon Tetra,” is published in the journal ACS Nano. The paper was co-authored by Benjamin Evans of Elon University.

Related Articles Read More >

Atomically thin device could turn your smartphone into a supersmart gas sensor
Wafer-thin nanopaper changes from firm to soft at the touch of a button
Nanowire could provide a stable, easy-to-make superconducting transistor
CEA is the first research center to acquire a Cryogenic Prober for testing quantum bits

Need R&D World news in a minute?

We Deliver!
R&D World Enewsletters get you caught up on all the mission critical news you need in research and development. Sign up today.
Enews Signup
Tweets by @RandDWorld

R&D World Digital Issues

February 2020 issue

Browse the most current issue of R&D World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading R& magazine today.

Research & Development World
  • Subscribe to R&D World Magazine
  • Enews Sign Up
  • Contact Us
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing
  • 2021 Global Funding Forecast

Copyright © 2021 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search R&D World

  • Home Page
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Archeology
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Market Pulse
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Battery Technology
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Semiconductors
  • Controlled Environments
    • Cleanrooms
    • Graphene
    • Lasers
    • Regulations/Standards
    • Sensors
  • Scientific Computing
    • Big Data
    • HPC/Supercomputing
    • Informatics
    • Security
    • Software
  • R&D 100 Awards
    • ENTER NOW
    • 2020 Winners
    • Winner Archive
    • R&D 100 Conference
  • Resources
    • Digital Issues
    • Podcasts
    • Subscribe
  • 2021 Funding Forecast
  • COVID-19