Spectral Transition in Bio-Inspired Self-Assembled Peptide Nucleic Acid Photonic Crystals

Or Berger , Eyal Yoskovitz , Lihi Adler-Abramovich , and Ehud Gazit

The self‐assembly of guanine‐based peptide nucleic acid monomers into photonic crystals is described. A highly reflective lattice of guanine nanocrystals is found in the skin and ocular tissues of different species providing vivid structural colors. The fabricated guanine‐based supramolecular structures respond to changes in osmolarity similar to the active spectral change mechanism employed by chameleons.