Microstructural design for mechanical–optical multifunctionality in the exoskeleton of the flower beetle Torynorrhina flammea

Biological systems have a remarkable capability of synthesizing multifunctional materials that are adapted for specific physiological and ecological needs. When exploring structure–function relationships related to multifunctionality in nature, it can be a challenging task to address performance synergies, trade-offs, and the relative importance of different functions in biological materials, which, in turn, can hinder our ability to successfully develop their synthetic bioinspired counterparts. Here, we investigate such relationships between the mechanical and optical properties in a multifunctional biological material found in the highly protective yet conspicuously colored exoskeleton of the flower beetle, Torynorrhina flammea. Combining experimental, computational, and theoretical approaches, we demonstrate that a micropillar-reinforced photonic multilayer in the beetle’s exoskeleton simultaneously enhances mechanical robustness and optical appearance, giving rise to optical damage tolerance. Compared with plain multilayer structures, stiffer vertical micropillars increase stiffness and elastic recovery, restrain the formation of shear bands, and enhance delamination resistance. The micropillars also scatter the reflected light at larger polar angles, enhancing the first optical diffraction order, which makes the reflected color visible from a wider range of viewing angles. The synergistic effect of the improved angular reflectivity and damage localization capability contributes to the optical damage tolerance. Our systematic structural analysis of T. flammea’s different color polymorphs and parametric optical and mechanical modeling further suggest that the beetle’s microarchitecture is optimized toward maximizing the first-order optical diffraction rather than its mechanical stiffness. These findings shed light on material-level design strategies utilized in biological systems for achieving multifunctionality and could thus inform bioinspired material innovations.

Enhanced Ultraviolet Damage Resistance in Magnesium Doped Lithium Niobate Crystals through Zirconium Co-Doping

MgO-doped LiNbO3 (LN:Mg) is famous for its high resistance to optical damage, but this phenomenon only occurs in visible and infrared regions, and its photorefraction is not decreased but enhanced in ultraviolet region. Here we investigated a series of ZrO2 co-doped LN:Mg (LN:Mg,Zr) regarding their ultraviolet photorefractive properties. The optical damage resistance experiment indicated that the resistance against ultraviolet damage of LN:Mg was significantly enhanced with increased ZrO2 doping concentration. Moreover, first-principles calculations manifested that the enhancement of ultraviolet damage resistance for LN:Mg,Zr was mainly determined by both the increased band gap and the reduced ultraviolet photorefractive center O2−/−. So, LN:Mg,Zr crystals would become an excellent candidate for ultraviolet nonlinear optical material.

Doubling of THz emission in nonlinear borate crystals

We present the possibility of effective doubling of millimeter wave radiation in the range of 400-2500 μm in borate crystals. The phase matching angles are calculated. It is shown that for LN and β-BBO crystals the realization of o + o → e and e + o → e interactions is possible, and for LB4 only o + o → e. The walk-off angle, spectral and angular phase-matching bandwidth are calculated. An estimate is given of the maximum efficiency of SHG taking into account the measured optical damage threshold of 150 TW/cm2 for the LB4 crystal and 100 TW/cm2 for β-BBO.

Ablation of BaWO4 Crystal by Ultrashort Laser Pulses

Ablation of BaWO4 Raman crystals with different impurity concentrations by ultrashort laser pulses was experimentally studied. Laser pulses with duration varying from 0.3 ps to 1.6 ps at wavelengths of 515 nm and 1030 nm were applied. A single-pulse optical damage threshold of the crystal surface changed from 1.3 J/cm2 to 4.2 J/cm2 depending on the laser pulse parameters and BaWO4 crystal purity. The optical damage threshold under multi-pulse irradiation was an order of magnitude less.