Optical properties of chitin: surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates based on
antireflection structures on cicada wings

doi:10.1088/0957-4484/17/3/011

Optical properties of chitin: surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates based on antireflection structures on cicada wings

P R Stoddart et al 2006 Nanotechnology 17 680-686 doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/17/3/011

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P R Stoddart¹, P J Cadusch¹, T M Boyce¹, R M Erasmus² and J D Comins²
¹ Centre for Atom Optics and Ultrafast Spectroscopy, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
² DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Strong Materials, Physics Building, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits 2050, South Africa
E-mail: pstoddart@swin.edu.au

Abstract. The transparent wings of some cicada species present ordered arrays of papillary structures with a spacing of approximately 200 nm. These structures serve an antireflection function, with optical transmission peaking at a value of approximately 98% and rising above 90% over a broad band from 450 to 2500 nm. The dimensions of the papillae are comparable to the roughness scale of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. SERS measurements performed on silver- and gold-coated wings display enhancement factors of approximately 10⁶ with no apparent background contribution from the wing.

Print publication: Issue 3 (14 February 2006)
Received 7 October 2005
Published 6 January 2006

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Optical properties of chitin: surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates based on antireflection structures on cicada wings

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