via University of Sheffield
- Experts have managed to mimic the colour of the Cyphochilus beetle’s scales one of the brightest whites in nature
- Findings show the colour is created by the structure of the beetles’ scales, not by pigments and dyes
- By managing to replicate this structure in the lab using plastic, researchers hope to pave the way for sustainable, ultra-white paints made from recycled plastic waste
- New paints would have a much lower carbon footprint and help tackle the challenge of recycling single-use plastics
Cyphochilus beetle scales are one of the brightest whites in nature and their ultra-white appearance is created by the nanostructure in their tiny scales, as opposed to the use of pigment or dyes.
Experts have now been able to recreate and improve on this structure in the lab using low cost materials – via a technique which could be used as a sustainable alternative to titanium dioxide in white paint.
Dr Andrew Parnell, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, who led the research, said: “In the natural world, whiteness is usually created by a foamy, Swiss cheese-like structure made of a solid interconnected network and air. Until now, how these structures form and develop and how they have evolved light-scattering properties has remained a mystery.
“Having understood these structures we were able to take plastic and structure it in the same way. Ideally, we could recycle plastic waste that would normally be burnt or sent to landfill, structure it just like the beetle scale and then use it to make super white paint. This would make paint with a much lower carbon footprint and help tackle the challenge of recycling single-use plastics.”
The findings show that the foamy structure of the beetles’ scales had the right proportion of empty spaces, which optimise the scattering of light – creating the ultra-white colouring.
Conventional white paint contains nanoparticles of titanium dioxide, which scatter light very strongly. However, the use of titanium dioxide is harmful to the environment as it contributes to nearly 75 per cent of the carbon footprint of each tin of paint that is produced.
To measure the tiny individual beetle scales, researchers used a technique called X-ray tomography, which is similar to a CT scan but on a miniscule scale. The scientists used the X-ray imaging facilities at the instrument ID16B at the European Synchrotron Research Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France.
The intense X-ray source at the ESRF meant whole intact scales could be measured, which was pivotal to understanding them and modelling how they scatter light. To follow how the synthetic material formed, they again used the ESRF to confirm the formation mechanism as the layer dried and became structured.
Dr Stephanie Burg, a PhD researcher at the University of Sheffield said: “This research answers long-standing questions about how the structure inside these scales actually form and we hope these lessons from nature will help inform the future of sustainable manufacturing for paint.”
Learn more: Beetle scales hold secret to creating sustainable paint from recycled plastic, research shows
The Latest on: Sustainable paint
via Google News
The Latest on: Sustainable paint
- Wall insulation causes 'green slimy' marks on Arfon homeson November 29, 2019 at 5:26 pm
There's a noticeable green slimy line next to one of the downpipes even though the work was carried out less than four years ago. "Next door has black marks on the front of the house. "People have ...
- Sustainable Buildings Research Centre at University of Wollongong aces Living Building Challengeon November 29, 2019 at 11:30 am
The Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC ... "We have a record of every single element that's gone into this building, whether it's the concrete in the floor or the timber, the steel, the paint ...
- Former Green Beret escaped dead-end path, survived combat, and is living his wrestling dreamson November 28, 2019 at 7:33 am
And a Green Beret? And he’s survived a bunch of explosions and ... He was crazier than the Macho Man. And his face paint, wild hair and tasseled armbands made him look like a psychedelic, kamikaze god ...
- All the Colors of the Year That Paint Companies Are Predicting for 2020on November 28, 2019 at 5:15 am
Flash-forward a couple of months, and the brand was out with more exciting news: a paint color and a wallpaper of the year for 2020. While the minty green and garland-covered paper stood out, so too ...
- This manual Ferrari F355 is a no-reserve dream, especially in greenon November 26, 2019 at 1:02 pm
It’s a 1997 model, and one of the 3829 Berlinettas equipped with a gated six-speed manual shifter. The rarity, however, is exponentially compounded by the fact that it’s also finished in a green paint ...
- Exclusive: Try Netflix’s ‘Green Eggs & Ham’ Instead of Turkey This Thanksgivingon November 26, 2019 at 8:02 am
And for more Green Eggs and Ham, be sure to listen in on our interview with the series’ creator ... the industrial Snerz Co. He packs up his invention in a briefcase and resigns to give up on his ...
- Want Consumers to Help Solve the Plastic Crisis? Offer Sustainable, and Fun, Choiceson November 26, 2019 at 12:14 am
They also paint a picture that has causes many to become discouraged ... Only 28 percent of respondents to that same 2018 survey believed companies were succeeding. A new type of sustainable brand: ...
- Paint companies have a new idea for overwhelmed consumers: Fewer optionson November 25, 2019 at 4:20 am
“The legacy paint manufacturers have always had this misconception that more is better ... a homeowner who is looking for a highly specific shade of green. For the latter especially, Magno sees the ...
- Green Day Celebrate ‘Dookie’ Anniversary, Open Up the Pit at the 2019 AMAson November 24, 2019 at 7:16 pm
Rolling Stone previously paired Eilish and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong in conversation in the Musicians on Musicians issue. More from Rolling Stone Watch Halsey's Paint-Smeared Performance ...
- Gray, make way: Bright, bold paint colors will soon make a splashon November 22, 2019 at 7:00 am
“Make that an emerald sofa and it will suppress the green.” To properly choose a color, Wolff says never pick a new color relative to the old color by simply holding up color chip or painting a swath ...
via Bing News