A Butterfly Effect

Last Updated (Tuesday, 01 June 2010 15:00) Written by Raymond Nakamura

The Butterfly Effect is about how small changes can lead to big results. I doubt the flap of a butterfly's wing in Brazil has anything to do with a tornado in Texas. But Matthias Kolle at Cambridge University has found a different kind of butterfly effect by recreating the small scale structure of butterfly wings with nanotechnology.

Light Motif

The brilliant colours of some moths and butterflies results from how the tiny scales in the wings interact with light. The range of colours they reflect may mean that they look different to predators than to other butterflies or moths of their own kind.

It's a Small World After All

Nanotechnology builds things from the molecules up. It already has many applications, including sunblock. Kolle used nanotechnology to produce tiny structures shaped like egg cartons that yielded brilliant colours worthy of Madama Butterfly's kimono.

Putting a Moth Where the Money Is

Canadian bills already use various security devices, including ghost images, metal strips, special threads and spots that glow under UV light. Fabricated nanotech versions of butterfly or moth wings could provide another way to counter counterfeiting by changing the colour of money.