Photonic Structures in Nature and Bio-Mimetic Materials

The special issue of APL Photonics on Photonic Structures in Nature and Bio-Mimetic Materials will highlight cutting-edge advances inspired by the remarkable optical strategies evolved in natural systems. Across scales ranging from nanostructured butterfly wings to complex architectures in diatoms and iridescent beetles, biological organisms have perfected methods of manipulating light for functions such as communication, camouflage, energy harvesting, and sensing. These natural photonic structures offer an unparalleled blueprint for developing next-generation photonic materials and devices with enhanced performance, sustainability, and multifunctionality.

This special issue aims to bring together interdisciplinary research spanning physics, materials science, biology, and engineering to showcase how natural photonic principles can be harnessed and extended into artificial systems. Contributions are invited on both fundamental studies eluding the formation, function, and evolutionary optimization of biological photonic structures—as well as applied approaches translating these insights into engineered devices. Submissions that explore novel fabrication routes, bio-inspired design frameworks, and theoretical models are particularly encouraged.

Topics covered include, but are not limited to:

Guest Editors

Rox Middleton, University of Bath

Viola Vogler-Neuling, Adolphe Merkle Institute