Most of the time, a material's color stems from its chemical properties. Different atoms and molecules absorb different wavelengths of light; the remaining wavelengths are the "intrinsic colors" that we perceive when they ...
Nanomaterials
Aug 13, 2020
0
202
There's a reason why blue fruits are so rare: the pigment compounds that make fruits blue are relatively uncommon in nature. But the metallic blue fruits of Viburnum tinus, a popular landscaping plant in Europe, get their ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 6, 2020
0
49
A novel three-dimensional (3-D) touchless interactive display can change color based on the distance of the user's finger from the screen by detecting subtle shifts in ambient relative humidity, according to a new study. ...
Brilliantly colored chameleons, butterflies, opals—and now some 3-D-printed materials—reflect color by using nanoscale structures called photonic crystals.
Materials Science
Jun 10, 2020
0
138
By blending paints in their palette, artists can create a broad spectrum of colors with subtly different hues. However, scientists who wish to create a similar range of structural colors, like those found on butterfly wings, ...
Nanophysics
Mar 4, 2020
0
13
Just like a chameleon changes its skin color in response to its environment, engineers have found a way for liquid metal—and potentially solid metal—to change its surface structure in response to heat.
Materials Science
Jan 13, 2020
0
65
Hummingbirds are some of the most brightly-colored things in the entire world. Their feathers are iridescent— light bounces off them like a soap bubble, resulting in shimmering hues that shift as you look at them from different ...
Evolution
Jan 10, 2020
0
723
A newly discovered retinal structure in the eyes of certain kinds of songbirds might help the animals find and track insect prey more easily.
Plants & Animals
Dec 17, 2019
0
70
The mass production of flat optical devices with sub-wavelength structures could soon be a reality, thanks to a metasurface fabrication technique developed by researchers at A*STAR.
Optics & Photonics
Mar 18, 2019
0
14
Engineers at MIT and Penn State University have found that under the right conditions, ordinary clear water droplets on a transparent surface can produce brilliant colors, without the addition of inks or dyes.
Condensed Matter
Feb 27, 2019
1
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