Structural colour
From iridescent butterflies and beetles to fish-scales and petals – can nature show us how to make sustainable pigments and dyes? Angeli Mehta takes a look
Colour produced by physical structure, rather than chemical pigments, can be long-lasting and stunning. Nature uses it in many ways, but few commercial products make use of it. Angeli Mehta investigates the research – academic and industrial – trying to copy nature to make things bring and beautiful