New Technology Mimics Bird Feathers for Permanent Color

For centuries, vibrant dyes that don’t fade have been elusive, but researchers are looking  beyond dyes in a new direction for strong colors that last. Researchers at The University of Akron are investigating structural color patterns found in bird feathers to create non-fading colors for commercial use.

The team is seeking to produce synthetic versions of the the tiny packets of melanin found in feathers. The synthetic version produce color when stacked in layers. Distinct colors are visible thanks to the interaction of light on the material’s small-scale pattern, which reflects light in a way that causes some wavelengths to appear brighter and others darker.

One of the researchers involved in the project, Dr. Ali Dhinojwala, explained the usefulness of this technology in a press release, saying, ““One could think about applications as sensors, photo-protectors, and even perhaps an approach to create a wide range of colors without using any pigments.”

The technology not only can produce truly permanent color, but it also represents be a significant advantage environmentally, by eliminating the use of dyes.
 
For more about the researchers’ work, see their article publishes in the journal ACS Nano.