Bioinspired photonic structures by the reflector layer of firefly lantern for highly efficient chemiluminescence

Fireflies have drawn considerable attention for thousands of years due to their highly efficient bioluminescence, which is important for fundamental research and photonic applications. However, there are few reports on the reflector layer (RL) of firefly lantern, which contributes to the bright lumi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2015-08, Vol.5 (1), p.12965-12965, Article 12965
Main Authors: Chen, Linfeng, Shi, Xiaodi, Li, Mingzhu, Hu, Junping, Sun, Shufeng, Su, Bin, Wen, Yongqiang, Han, Dong, Jiang, Lei, Song, Yanlin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/301/1019
639/925/357
Animals
Bioluminescence
Chemiluminescence
Efficiency
Fireflies - physiology
Humanities and Social Sciences
Laboratories
Luminescence
Microparticles
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Mimicry
multidisciplinary
Photons
Precision medicine
Reflectance
Scanning electron microscopy
Science
Silica
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Summary:Fireflies have drawn considerable attention for thousands of years due to their highly efficient bioluminescence, which is important for fundamental research and photonic applications. However, there are few reports on the reflector layer (RL) of firefly lantern, which contributes to the bright luminescence. Here we presented the detailed microstructure of the RL consisting of random hollow granules, which had high reflectance in the range from 450 nm to 800 nm. Inspired by the firefly lantern, artificial films with high reflectance in the visible region were fabricated using hollow silica microparticles mimicking the structure of the RL. Additionally, the bioinspired structures provided an efficient RL for the chemiluminescence system and could substantially enhance the initial chemiluminescence intensity. The work not only provides new insight into the bright bioluminescence of fireflies, but also is importance for the design of photonic materials for theranostics, detection and imaging.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/srep12965