Tiny crab larvae make their eyes invisible with reflectors made from a previously unknown material. An international research team reveals the secret behind the invisibility of the tiny creatures. The photonic glass discovered in the eyes of crustaceans should, according to the researchers, serve as inspiration for new materials in the future.
“Materials in which such photonic glasses can be used range from durable paints or coatings to more efficient solar systems,” said a co-author of the study, Lukas Schertel of the University of Freiburg, when asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency.
Inspiration for new fabrics
To develop such new materials by mimicking nature, it is important to study how these creatures hide in nature. Many marine life – from fish to plankton – use transparent bodies to avoid being noticed. However, being completely transparent is impossible for living creatures that need to see. It needs opaque eye pigments to see.
The larvae’s strategy to camouflage the conspicuous eye pigments is to cover them with a shimmering film. The researchers report in a study published in the journal Science that these are photonic structures that reflect light according to the color of the surrounding water.
Photonic glass made of nanospheres
The scientists found a previously unknown type of photonic glass made up of nanospheres surrounding the dark eye pigments. These beads are about 400 nanometers in size – a hair is almost two hundred times as thick.
Reflected color can be customized
The crabs can change the size and arrangement of these nanospheres. This allows you to adjust the reflected color – from deep blue to yellow. This way, the animals can stay hidden in different habitats and at different times of the day.
Source: Krone
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