4. Bio-inspired approach: reproducing natural structures

The study and characterization of natural photonic structures, both animal and plant, has given rise to a large number of studies which have clearly demonstrated their effectiveness and the benefits of incorporating them into our industrial processes. We can try to reproduce them, but our techniques are currently ill-suited to the creation of more or less well-ordered multi-scale structures, at least on a large scale. If we want to preserve this complexity, the creation of molds and the taking of impressions is an interesting avenue.

Two approaches are possible: the chemical route using sol-gel methods, or the physical route using plasma deposition (PVD). The former can be used to produce indentations in a wide range of materials, and seems a priori particularly well suited to the reproduction of three-dimensional structures. Due to the directionality of physical...