Many butterfly species use light-interacting structures on their wing scales to produce color in a way that suggests a novel model for producing environmentally-benign coloration with unique and valuable properties. The cuticle on the scales of these butterfly species’ wings are composed of nano-sized, transparent, chitin-and-air layered structures that, rather than statically absorb and reflect certain light wavelengths as pigments and dyes do, selectively cancel out certain colors through wavelength interference while reflecting others, depending on the exact structure and interspatial distance between diffracting layers. This system of producing color allows for the dynamic control of light flow and wavelength interaction, which butterflies rely upon for camouflage, thermoregulation, and signaling. Human-made systems of structurally-produced color are now being designed which do not require the toxic heavy-metals or manufacturing methods common to many pigments and dyes (e.g., for iridescent fabrics and cosmetics), and to create high-performance electronic color displays by actively varying the interspatial distances of light-interacting layers (e.g., for cell phones), which can change colors rapidly, remain vibrant under low-light conditions, and require less energy than other electronic display methods.
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