Nature & Environment
Unique Properties In Butterfly Wings May Help With Gas Protection
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Sep 01, 2015 06:36 PM EDT
Could butterflies hold the key to developing new highly selective gas detection sensors?
New findings published in Nature Communications reveal pioneering new research by a team of international scientists at the University of Exeter. They learned how to replicate the surface chemistry found in the iridescent scales of the Morpho butterfly to create an innovative gas sensor.
With the help of these ground-breaking findings, this could inspire new design sensors to be used in a range of sectors, even medical diagnostics, industry and the military, researchers say.
"Bio-inspired approaches to the realisation of new technologies are tremendously valuable. In this work, by developing a detailed understanding of the subtle way in which the appearance and colour of the Morpho butterfly arises, and the way this colour depends on its local environment, our team has discovered a remarkable way in which we can advance sensor and detector technology rapidly."
Previous studies show that vapour molecules adhere differently to the top of these structures than to the bottom due to local chemistry within the scales--the key to bio-inspired gas sensors.
In this recent study, researchers produced these new kind of colorimetric sensors that compete very well with conventional gas sensor arrays in simplicity, stability and cost-savings.
Sensors that are both cost-effective and that properly detect gas leaks in a multitude of industrial processes currently remain an unmet environmental, health and safety goal at this time. Yet the study authors believe that this highly selective colorimetric sensor could represent a significant advancement in gas leak detection performance in the future.
Dr. Radislav Potyrailo, the study's lead author and Principal Scientist at Global Research's headquarters in Niskayuna, New York, said: "Material-design principles applied in nature impact many scientific fields. We found the origin of the unusually high gas selectivity of the wing scales of Morpho butterflies and fabricated a new kind of gas sensor based on these principles."
"These new sensors not only selectively detect separate gases but also quantify gases in mixtures, and when blended with a variable chemical background. Our next goal is to make these sensors in a cost-effective manner to offer new attractive sensing solutions in the marketplace."
Dr. Timothy Starkey, researcher at the University of Exeter, concluded: "Our research into these bio-inspired sensors demonstrates the huge value in applying the scientific learnings from the biological world to develop technologies for real world applications."
Related Articles
Butterfly Larvae Control Nectar-Addicted Ants by Controlling the Effect of Dopamine
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: Sep 01, 2015 06:36 PM EDT
Could butterflies hold the key to developing new highly selective gas detection sensors?
New findings published in Nature Communications reveal pioneering new research by a team of international scientists at the University of Exeter. They learned how to replicate the surface chemistry found in the iridescent scales of the Morpho butterfly to create an innovative gas sensor.
With the help of these ground-breaking findings, this could inspire new design sensors to be used in a range of sectors, even medical diagnostics, industry and the military, researchers say.
"Bio-inspired approaches to the realisation of new technologies are tremendously valuable. In this work, by developing a detailed understanding of the subtle way in which the appearance and colour of the Morpho butterfly arises, and the way this colour depends on its local environment, our team has discovered a remarkable way in which we can advance sensor and detector technology rapidly."
Previous studies show that vapour molecules adhere differently to the top of these structures than to the bottom due to local chemistry within the scales--the key to bio-inspired gas sensors.
In this recent study, researchers produced these new kind of colorimetric sensors that compete very well with conventional gas sensor arrays in simplicity, stability and cost-savings.
Sensors that are both cost-effective and that properly detect gas leaks in a multitude of industrial processes currently remain an unmet environmental, health and safety goal at this time. Yet the study authors believe that this highly selective colorimetric sensor could represent a significant advancement in gas leak detection performance in the future.
Dr. Radislav Potyrailo, the study's lead author and Principal Scientist at Global Research's headquarters in Niskayuna, New York, said: "Material-design principles applied in nature impact many scientific fields. We found the origin of the unusually high gas selectivity of the wing scales of Morpho butterflies and fabricated a new kind of gas sensor based on these principles."
"These new sensors not only selectively detect separate gases but also quantify gases in mixtures, and when blended with a variable chemical background. Our next goal is to make these sensors in a cost-effective manner to offer new attractive sensing solutions in the marketplace."
Dr. Timothy Starkey, researcher at the University of Exeter, concluded: "Our research into these bio-inspired sensors demonstrates the huge value in applying the scientific learnings from the biological world to develop technologies for real world applications."
Related Articles
Butterfly Larvae Control Nectar-Addicted Ants by Controlling the Effect of Dopamine
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone