Breeding Polyommatus icarus Serves as a Large-Scale and Environmentally Friendly Source of Precisely Tuned Photonic Nanoarchitectures

SIMPLE SUMMARY: This study introduces a cost-effective and environmentally friendly laboratory procedure and infrastructure that can be readily applied to industrial production. We demonstrate that a custom-made insectarium can yield natural, finely tuned photonic nanostructure surfaces year-round using Common Blue butterfly laboratory populations. Using a single device, this process enables the production of more than 7500 wing samples annually, equivalent to up to 1 m(2) of photonic surfaces. To ascertain the reliability of Common Blue as a source of photonic nanostructures, we compared the structural colour of the laboratory population to different natural genetic lineages. Although clear signs of genetic erosion due to inbreeding was detected through molecular genetic variability analysis, we observed minimal differences in the structural colouration showing the exceptional stability of the photonic nanostructures in the wing scales of Common Blue males. Consequently, there is a notable economic opportunity in developing technology that can be applied in industry to produce these natural materials that may be used directly in different kinds of applications requiring intricate photonic nanostructures. ABSTRACT: The colour of the butterfly wing serves as an important sexual and species-specific signal. Some species produce structural colouration by developing wing scales with photonic nanoarchitectures. These nanostructures are highly conservative, allowing only a ±10 nm peak wavelength deviation in the reflectance spectra of the blue structural colour in natural Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) populations. They are promising templates of future artificial photonic materials and can be used in potential applications, too. In this work, we present methodology and infrastructure for breeding laboratory populations of Common Blue as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly source of nanostructures. Our technology enables the production of approximately 7500 wing samples, equivalent to 0.5–1 m(2) of photonic nanoarchitecture surface within a year in a single custom-made insectarium. To ascertain the reliability of this method, we compared reflectance properties between different populations from distant geographic locations. We also provide genetic background of these populations using microsatellite genotyping. The laboratory population showed genetic erosion, but even after four generations of inbreeding, only minimal shifts in the structural colouration were observed, indicating that wild Common Blue populations may be a reliable source of raw material for photonic surfaces.