title: Structure-based optical filtering by the silica microshell of the centric marine diatom Coscinodiscus wailesii.
abstract: Diatoms are a renewable (biologically reproducible) source of three-dimensional (3-D) nanostructured silica that could be attractive for a variety of photonic devices, owing to the wide range of quasi-periodic patterns of nano-to-microscale pores available on the silica microshells (frustules) of various diatom species. We have investigated the optical behavior of the silica frustule of a centric marine diatom, Coscinodiscus wailesii, using a coherent broadband (400-1700 nm) supercontinuum laser focused to a fine (20 µm diameter) spot. The C. wailesii frustule valve, which possessed a quasi-periodic hexagonal pore array, exhibited position-dependent optical diffraction. Changes in such diffraction behavior across the frustule were consistent with observed variations in the quasi-periodic pore pattern.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Kieu
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Li
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Fang
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Cohoon
authors: O D
authors: OD
authors: Herrera
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Hildebrand
authors: K H
authors: KH
authors: Sandhage
authors: R A
authors: RA
authors: Norwood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017377:Diatoms; D008027:Light; D049329:Nanostructures; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012822:Silicon Dioxide