GE scientists discover nanostructures on the surface of butterfly wings

Scientists working to replicate butterfly wing’s unique properties in the lab; develop man-made, nano-engineered chemical sensors for diverse vapor-detection applications ranging from security and manufacturing to healthcare

28 Feb 2007 , Niskayuna, N.Y. : GE Global Research, the centralized research organization of the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), today announced researchers have discovered that the nanostructures on the wing scales of butterflies exhibit high-performance optical properties that facilitate a selective detection of vapors. The finding could lead to the design of highly acute chemical sensors for diverse vapor-detection applications ranging from security to manufacturing and healthcare. GE’s research team, led by Dr. Radislav Potyrailo, an analytical chemist in the Chemical and Biological Sensing Laboratory at Global Research’s headquarters in Niskayuna, reported its discovery in the latest issue of the journal, Nature Photonics. The article is this month’s featured cover story and can be accessed at the following link: www.nature.com/nphoton/index.html. Story