Throughout history, mankind has attempted to simulate striking colors found in nature. When you see the brilliant orange and silvery blue color emitted by a neon tetra fish or the varied and vivid colors of a hummingbird, it’s not due to natural pigmentation in their scales or skin. These creatures contain a unique and colorless nanostructure that reflects or absorbs certain wavelengths of light to create what is called “structural color”.

The quest to create bioinspired colors that reflect the purity and brilliance of colors found in nature is not just a scientific or artistic pursuit, but also an economic one. Global brands are constantly leveraging breakthroughs in physics and materials science to create cutting-edge designs, special effects and differentiated colors that boost the value of their products. The auto industry in particular leverages unique colors and effects to attract discerning car buyers that are willing to pay a premium for luxury models. Most recently, the release of the Lexus LC Inspiration Series edition in October 2017 turned heads with an extremely unique blue paint color called Structural Blue. The genesis of the lustrous Structural Blue color was inspired many years prior by the shimmering and iridescent wings of the morpho butterfly.