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Biomimetics
Special Issues
Photonic Structures in Nature and Biomimetic Materials
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Photonic Structures in Nature and Biomimetic Materials

A special issue of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomimetics of Materials and Structures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 8699

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Silvia Vignolini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
Interests: biomimetic materials; bio-inspired photonics
Dr. Rox Middleton

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Biological Sciences, Biological Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Interests: novel biomimetic; bioinspired structures

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nature is full of light and color, and the materials that have evolved to manipulate these in natural materials include advanced photonic hierarchical metamaterials that in many instances far surpass current artificial technology in their range of adaptation. The study of these photonic structures in nature requires interdisciplinary research, ranging from biological development, physiology, and ecology to understand their functional impact, through the biochemistry of biomaterial development, optical physics to understand light–matter interaction in biological contexts, and materials science and engineering in the production of biomimetic materials. The field aiming to understand these materials is still unfolding the myriad photonic structures found in the natural world, and moreover, the ways in which their form produces photonic function in parallel with a multiplicity of biological adaptations. Throughout the natural world, understanding of new phenomena in photonic structures continues to lead the way in nanostructure engineering. 

This Special Issue on “Photonic Structures in Nature and Biomimetic Materials” calls for contributions from researchers worldwide from all the relevant fields and their interfaces with an understanding of the latest discoveries on photonic structures in nature and new developments in materials constructed to mimic their form and function. We are looking for experimental and theoretical research, reviews, and commentaries and are particularly interested in examples of photonic structures with special relation to their biological context and constituent materials, multifunctional structures, and innovative photonic functions. 

Prof. Dr. Silvia Vangolini
Dr. Rox Middleton
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biophotonics
  • nanoscale biomaterials
  • natural photonics
  • biological optics
  • photonic nanostructures
  • hierarchical optical materials
  • structural color
  • disordered photonics
  • natural interference photonics
  • photonic crystal

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2170 KiB  
Article
Measuring Photonics in Photosynthesis: Combined Micro-Fourier Image Spectroscopy and Pulse Amplitude Modulated Chlorophyll Fluorimetry at the Micrometre-Scale
by William P. Wardley, Johannes W. Goessling and Martin Lopez-Garcia
Biomimetics 2022, 7(3), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7030107 - 7 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2000
Abstract
Natural photonic structures are common across the biological kingdoms, serving a diversity of functionalities. The study of implications of photonic structures in plants and other phototrophic organisms is still hampered by missing methodologies for determining in situ photonic properties, particularly in the context [...] Read more.
Natural photonic structures are common across the biological kingdoms, serving a diversity of functionalities. The study of implications of photonic structures in plants and other phototrophic organisms is still hampered by missing methodologies for determining in situ photonic properties, particularly in the context of constantly adapting photosynthetic systems controlled by acclimation mechanisms on the cellular scale. We describe an innovative approach to determining spatial and spectral photonic properties and photosynthesis activity, employing micro-Fourier Image Spectroscopy and Pulse Amplitude Modulated Chlorophyll Fluorimetry in a combined microscope setup. Using two examples from the photosynthetic realm, the dynamic Bragg-stack-like thylakoid structures of Begonia sp. and complex 2.5 D photonic crystal slabs from the diatom Coscinodiscus granii, we demonstrate how the setup can be used for measuring self-adapting photonic-photosynthetic systems and photonic properties on single-cell scales. We suggest that the setup is well-suited for the determination of photonic–photosynthetic systems in a diversity of organisms, facilitating the cellular, temporal, spectral and angular resolution of both light distribution and combined chlorophyll fluorescence determination. As the catalogue of photonic structure from photosynthetic organisms is rich and diverse in examples, a deepened study could inspire the design of novel optical- and light-harvesting technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Structures in Nature and Biomimetic Materials)
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Review

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14 pages, 1490 KiB  
Review
At the Intersection of Natural Structural Coloration and Bioengineering
by Atrouli Chatterjee
Biomimetics 2022, 7(2), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7020066 - 23 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3692
Abstract
Most of us get inspired by and interact with the world around us based on visual cues such as the colors and patterns that we see. In nature, coloration takes three primary forms: pigmentary coloration, structural coloration, and bioluminescence. Typically, pigmentary and structural [...] Read more.
Most of us get inspired by and interact with the world around us based on visual cues such as the colors and patterns that we see. In nature, coloration takes three primary forms: pigmentary coloration, structural coloration, and bioluminescence. Typically, pigmentary and structural coloration are used by animals and plants for their survival; however, few organisms are able to capture the nearly instantaneous and visually astounding display that cephalopods (e.g., octopi, squid, and cuttlefish) exhibit. Notably, the structural coloration of these cephalopods critically relies on a unique family of proteins known as reflectins. As a result, there is growing interest in characterizing the structure and function of such optically-active proteins (e.g., reflectins) and to leverage these materials across a broad range of disciplines, including bioengineering. In this review, I begin by briefly introducing pigmentary and structural coloration in animals and plants as well as highlighting the extraordinary appearance-changing capabilities of cephalopods. Next, I outline recent advances in the characterization and utilization of reflectins for photonic technologies and and discuss general strategies and limitations for the structural and optical characterization of proteins. Finally, I explore future directions of study for optically-active proteins and their potential applications. Altogether, this review aims to bring together an interdisciplinary group of researchers who can resolve the fundamental questions regarding the structure, function, and self-assembly of optically-active protein-based materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Structures in Nature and Biomimetic Materials)
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Other

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15 pages, 19936 KiB  
Perspective
Revealing the Wonder of Natural Photonics by Nonlinear Optics
by Dimitrije Mara, Bojana Bokic, Thierry Verbiest, Sébastien R. Mouchet and Branko Kolaric
Biomimetics 2022, 7(4), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040153 - 5 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1918
Abstract
Nano-optics explores linear and nonlinear phenomena at the nanoscale to advance fundamental knowledge about materials and their interaction with light in the classical and quantum domains in order to develop new photonics-based technologies. In this perspective article, we review recent progress regarding the [...] Read more.
Nano-optics explores linear and nonlinear phenomena at the nanoscale to advance fundamental knowledge about materials and their interaction with light in the classical and quantum domains in order to develop new photonics-based technologies. In this perspective article, we review recent progress regarding the application of nonlinear optical methods to reveal the links between photonic structures and functions of natural photonic geometries. Furthermore, nonlinear optics offers a way to unveil and exploit the complexity of the natural world for developing new materials and technologies for the generation, detection, manipulation, and storage of light at the nanoscale, as well as sensing, metrology, and communication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Structures in Nature and Biomimetic Materials)
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