Butterflies and technology

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Sergey85, 30.03.2012 14:18

Physicists have assembled an ultra-sensitive thermal radiation sensor from butterfly wing scales and carbon nanotubes.

The assembly of super-thermometers with the participation of butterflies is reported by RIA Novosti with reference to an article in the journal Nature Photonics. Butterflies from the genus Morpho are famous for their bright and shiny wings, and the beauty of their wings is provided not by special pigmentation, but by a unique structure of scales. A" palisade " of chitin strips on the surface of the wings refracts and reflects light in a special way, which gives the butterfly a satin or mother-of-pearl color.
A group of American scientists led by Radislav Potyrailo (Radislav Potyrailo) from the Center for Global Studies of General Electric in Niskayuna studied these butterflies. She also noted that the wings of Morpho sulkowskyi change color at the slightest change in air temperature.
The structure of butterfly wing scales was studied using a highly sensitive microscope. On their surface, physicists found special light-refractive "Christmas trees", the size of which decreased or increased with temperature fluctuations. At the same time, the frequency of light reflected from the wings also changed, since its wavelength directly depended on the size of the "Christmas trees" on the scales.
The scientists used butterfly wings to assemble a heat-sensitive sensor by gluing several flakes to carbon nanotubes. Single-layer tubes made of carbon atoms absorb infrared radiation well, and their addition made it possible to increase the sensitivity of a temperature sensor based on butterfly wings.
The device works as follows: heat energy enters the carbon tubes and is transferred to the butterfly scales. The scales change color, which is detected by light-sensitive sensors. By changing the color, the computer calculates the parameters of infrared radiation.
Having assembled a prototype of the sensor, the authors of the article tested its operation, gradually heating it from negative temperatures to 30 degrees Celsius. The device responded to the slightest changes in ambient temperature - by thousandths of a degree. According to scientists, such a sensor is much more sensitive than most modern commercial thermal sensors.
In addition, the sensor works very quickly – it is able to record about 40 changes in temperature per second. The authors of the article believe that this indicator can be further improved with the help of special noise-canceling algorithms that process the original data.
According to Potirailo and his colleagues, creating an artificial analog of butterfly scales and assembling super-thermometers based on it will help astronomers, biologists, geologists and other specialists.