<p>Inspired by a butterfly whose wings appear to change colours, researchers from Harvard University have found a way to mimic the colour change using artificial materials to build a new counterfeit-proof material.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The material can be used to make more secure banknotes or passports.<br />The superthin, transparent material is made of a series of microscopic plates. Each tiny plate, about 18 mm tall, features a ridged edge.<br /><br />By changing the height size and spacing between the plates or the ridges, the researchers can change how the material diffracts light.<br /><br />"We thought there could be some benefit for such a unique material in security printing. The material could also coat the solar panels to manipulate how light enters the individual cells," explained study co-author Mathias Kolle from Harvard.<br /><br />The male Pierella luna butterfly from Latin America has wings that appear to change colour when looked at from different angles.<br /><br />The optical trick is possible thanks to tiny scales on its wings that curl slightly upward at the end and diffract light, Live Science reported.</p>
<p>Inspired by a butterfly whose wings appear to change colours, researchers from Harvard University have found a way to mimic the colour change using artificial materials to build a new counterfeit-proof material.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The material can be used to make more secure banknotes or passports.<br />The superthin, transparent material is made of a series of microscopic plates. Each tiny plate, about 18 mm tall, features a ridged edge.<br /><br />By changing the height size and spacing between the plates or the ridges, the researchers can change how the material diffracts light.<br /><br />"We thought there could be some benefit for such a unique material in security printing. The material could also coat the solar panels to manipulate how light enters the individual cells," explained study co-author Mathias Kolle from Harvard.<br /><br />The male Pierella luna butterfly from Latin America has wings that appear to change colour when looked at from different angles.<br /><br />The optical trick is possible thanks to tiny scales on its wings that curl slightly upward at the end and diffract light, Live Science reported.</p>