(95g) Artificial Mosquito “Compound Eye” Lens with Tunable Multifunctionality By Liquid-Based Assembly Process

The compound eyes of the arthropods, such as mosquitos, moth, dragonfly, and fly, shows fascinating multifunctionality. For example, mosquitos have a compound structured eye which is composed of hundreds of microscale hemispheres (ommatidia), and those work as individual sensory units. Each hemisphere has uniform nanoscale nipple structures on its surface, and the average diameter and interparticle space of the nipples are approximately 100 nm and 50 nm. This hierarchy structure provides multi-functionality (anti-fogging and superhydrophobic) on the eye for maintaining a clear vision in a humid habit. Furthermore, the compound eyes don’t have a focus control system, such as the ciliary muscle of human eyes, but the individual microlens has a nearly infinite depth of field. Mimicking the all key functionalities through one fabrication system remains a challenge. Here we describe our efforts to design a fabrication process using multiphase colloidal assembly to mimic the key features found in the compound eyes. Our fabrication strategy is originated in the fundamental understanding of colloidal particle interaction on a liquid-fluid interface.