The wings of the swordtail butterfly Graphium sarpedon (the Common Bluebottle) have blue/green-colored patches that are covered on the underside by two types of scales: white and glass scales. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the white scales are classically structured: the upper lamina, with prominent ridges and large open windows, is well separated by trabeculae from a flat, continuous lower lamina. In the glass scales, the upper lamina, with inconspicuous ridges and windows, is almost flat and closely apposed to the equally flat lower lamina. The glass scales thus approximate ideal thin films, in agreement with the observation that they reflect light directionally and are iridescent. Reflectance and transmittance spectra measured from the glass scales with a microspectrophotometer agree with spectra calculated for an ideal non-absorbing thin film. Imaging scatterometry of single, isolated glass scales demonstrated that the reflected light can be strongly polarized, indicating that they function as polarizing reflectors.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.066902 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Stability of Ternary Drug-Drug-Drug Coamorphous Systems Obtained Through Mechanochemistry.
Pharmaceutics
January 2025
Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Piazzale Europa 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
This study investigates the preparation of coamorphous systems composed entirely of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), namely praziquantel, niclosamide, and mebendazole. The objective was to formulate and characterize binary and ternary coamorphous systems to evaluate their structural, thermal, and stability properties. Ten different mixtures (binary and ternary) were designed through a mixture design approach and prepared using a sustainable, one-step neat grinding process in a lab-scale vibrational mill.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Versatile Dual-Responsive Shape-Memory Gripper via Additive Manufacturing Toward High-Performance Cross-Scale Objects Maneuvering.
Small
January 2025
Department of Materials Physics and New Energy Device School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China.
Smart grippers serving as soft robotics have garnered extensive attentions owing to their great potentials in medical, biomedical, and industrial fields. Though a diversity of grippers that account for manipulating the small objects (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrodifferential Pressure Measurement Device for Cellular Microenvironments.
Bioengineering (Basel)
December 2024
Fusion Oriented Research for Disruptive Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 5-3, Yonbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8666, Japan.
Mechanical forces influence cellular proliferation, differentiation, tissue morphogenesis, and functional expression within the body. To comprehend the impact of these forces on living organisms, their quantification is essential. This study introduces a novel microdifferential pressure measurement device tailored for cellular-scale pressure assessments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFXylan thermoplastics with closed-loop recyclability.
Carbohydr Polym
March 2025
Beijing Key Laboratory of Lignocellulosic Chemistry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China. Electronic address:
Xylan-derived packaging materials have gained considerable popularity owing to their renewability, non-toxicity, and biodegradability. However, thermoforming is challenging owing to its rigid structure and hydrogen-bonding network of the xylan molecular chain, which limits its large-scale production. Herein, a heat-processable xylan derivative, xylan cinnamate (XC), was synthesized via an esterification reaction in ionic liquids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInsights into Calcium Phosphate Formation Induced by the Dissolution of 45S5 Bioactive Glass.
ACS Biomater Sci Eng
January 2025
CEA, DES, ISEC, DPME, SEME, University of Montpellier, Marcoule, Bagnols-sur-Cèze F-30207, France.
Although models have been proposed to explain the mechanisms of bioglass (BG) dissolution and subsequent calcium phosphate (CaP) mineralization, open questions remain. The processes in which phase transition occurs in aqueous solutions and their dynamics remain underexplored partly because traditional instruments/techniques do not allow for direct observations at the adequate time and length scales at which such phase transformations occur. For instance, given the crucial role of the silica gel in CaP formation during BG dissolution, uncertainty exists about how such a silica gel forms on the BG surface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!