Bio-inspired nanophotonics: Structural color, chirality, and resonance metasurfaces

Abstract

The dazzling colors of butterfly wings and hummingbird feathers are not painted with pigments, but crafted by nature's invisible hand—nanoscale structures that sculpt light itself. This biological mastery of optics has ignited a revolution in photonics, where researchers are no longer just mimicking nature, but decoding its principles to create next-generation optical materials. We review this journey from biological blueprints to artificial metasurfaces, uncovering how natural designs for coloration, polarization control, and light confinement inspire advanced nanophotonic devices. These bio-inspired platforms transcend the limits of conventional optics, enabling breakthroughs in imaging beyond the diffraction limit, ultra-efficient radiative cooling, and novel polarization-based technologies. By bridging evolutionary wisdom with nanoscale engineering, this field charts a course toward sustainable, multifunctional optical systems for sensing, communication, and energy.

Keywords

bioinspired nanostructures / chiral / flatband / high-Q / polarization

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