Peacock Feathers Inspire Possible Innovation in Anti-Counterfeit Coatings
TSUKUBA, Japan - Melanin-like compounds can be precisely designed and arranged to color materials using a mechanism similar to that found in a peacock's feathers. Chemist Michinari Kohri of Chiba University in Japan reviewed the latest research on these “melanin-mimetic materials” and their potential applications for the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.
Melanin and melanin-like compounds absorb some of the light that is scattered from the microstructures within materials. Scientists are finding ways to control this phenomenon to give a variety of iridescent and non-iridescent colors. Melanin is a dark pigment that gives color to hair and skin. It is also essential for the bright colors we see in some organisms. When light interacts with the structures of feathers, wings and shells of many organisms, like peacocks, butterflies and jewel beetles, it is scattered, appearing white. But when melanin is interspersed within these structures, some of the scattered light is absorbed, producing various colors. Scientists are looking for ways to mimic these so-called “structural color” changes of living organisms in synthetic materials.