Biomimetic Chiral Nematic Mesoporous Materials from Crab Cuticles

Photonic chitin membranes with the Bouligand structure are created from king crab endocuticles. Within the cuticle membranes, chitin nanofibrils are organized into a left-handed chiral nematic structure to evolve colorful, circularly polarized iridescence. The photonic porous chitin is used as a platform to make mesoporous silica and nitrogen-doped carbon replicas that mimic the twisted chitin nanofibril membranes.