Soft Optics from the micron to the nanoscale: bioinspired photonics and optical metamaterials based on polymer self-assembly

Abstract
Periodic structures on length scales of one micrometre and below have profound effects on the optical appearance of the material. My presentation covers two specific limits:  (1) photonic structures arising from length scales comparable with the wavelength of light (2) and optical metamaterials made from plasmonic metals on the 10-nm length scale.   While highly periodic photonic materials are  very well understood, the interplay of order and disorder in many natural materials that show structural colour are not.  The first part of my talk focusses on this order-diroeder interplay, starting with the “colour” white in biological organisms, followed by the colour signature of disordered gratings on plants and their role in bee-signaling.  The second part describes, how polymer self-assembly can be used to manufacture periodic structures from plasmonic metals, and how these control the flow of light through these materials.  While organic self-assembly provides the length scale that is suitable for 3D metamaterials at visible wavelengths, the required structural control is a challenge.  I will review recent progress made with the manufacture of these materials and discuss the path forward to the creation of optical materials with a negative refractive index in the visible.