Electrodynamic modeling of leafhopper brochosomes for synthetic antireflective coatings

ORAL

Abstract

Insect-inspired materials hold strong promise to solve many global challenges and applied in functional materials including adhesives, sensors, actuators, hydrophobic and optically active surfaces. There still exists a knowledge gap in designing and developing nature-based materials. Leafhopper (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae) secreted brochosomes, hollow buckyball-like multifunctional nanostructures, are a promising material relevant for the development of synthetic coatings with antireflective and hydrophobic behavior. Using electrodynamic near-field modeling simulations, we study the optical properties by varying the brochosome geometry, arrangements (ordered/disordered with different packing fractions), material properties, and leafhopper species. Simulations are used to model scenarios where the pits are filled in with different materials, directing the design of new non-natural hypothetical structures not evolved by leafhoppers. Experiments with purified brochosomes are used to determine various optical parameters, and compared to simulations, with the results being indicative of the rearrangements in spatial electric field distribution in the spectral regime being tied to the geometric configurations in these brochosomes.

*US Army Research Office under project number W911NF2010195

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Presenters

  • Progna Banerjee

    • 1McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, , University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA

Authors

  • Progna Banerjee

    • 1McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, , University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA

  • Gabriel R. Burks

    • 2Department of Materials Science & Engineering, 3Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA

  • Sarah B. Bialik

    • 4Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA

  • Elizabeth Bello

    • 5Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA

  • Marianne Alleyne

    • 3Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, 5Department of Entomology, 6Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champai

  • Jeffrey E. Barrick

    • 4Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA

  • Charles M Schroeder

    • Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign
    • 2Department of Materials Science & Engineering, 3Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, 7Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinoi
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Delia Milliron

    • 1McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, , University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
    • University of Texas at Austin