Here at 3D Rapid Print, one of the fastest growing 3D Printing companies in the Thames Valley, we like to keep abreast of the latest innovations in 3D printing.
On February 9th 2022, the ETH Zurich university of Switzerland announced that a group of its researchers had created artificial colours by 3D printing certain nanostructures, taking inspiration from the wings of Cynandra opis, a species of butterfly native to tropical Africa. In addition to other modified structures, ETH Zurich proclaimed that the team had successfully replicated the surface structures of the butterfly’s wings using a nano-3D printing technique. Their research was published in the journal Advanced Materials.
The team devised a principle to make structures that generate structural colours, which are produced by intricate regular surface structures in the size range of the wavelength of visible light. By deflecting light rays, these structures either amplify or cancel out individual colour components of the light. The Cynandra opis structures consist of 2 grid layers stacked perpendicular to each other, with a lattice spacing measuring roughly between 0.5 and 1μm. By varying the lattice spacing and the height of the lattice rods between 0.25 and 1.2μm, the team could produce 3D printed structures that generate all the colours of the visible spectrum, many of which do not occur in the butterfly itself. They also produced similar surfaces using different materials, including a transparent polymer, as well as a miniature image of multi-hued structural-colour pixels measuring 2 by 2μm in size.
ETH Zurich argued that the team’s work could eventually be used as a security feature on banknotes and other documents. It also contended that since the colours can be produced with transparent material, it would also be possible to manufacture colour filters for optical technologies. In addition, the team claimed that large-scale production of nanostructures was also conceivable. For example, a 3D printable negative structure could work as a template, which would enable the manufacturing of large numbers of reproductions. This means that the team’s principle could be suitable for the manufacture of high-resolution colour displays, such as thin bendable screens. Finally, the team noted that structural colours could replace the pigments currently used in printing and painting, arguing that they do not fade when exposed to light and usually have a better environmental footprint.
3D printing is an amazing tool. It can grow your small business or start a mini revolution in an industry. Explore what it can do for you when you contact us today.
Disclaimer: Featured image of “Blue Morpho Butterfly by Martin Johnson Heade” has been dedicated to the public domain by its author (known only as Wmpearl) under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
Recent Comments