User:Vox Rationis/Moth eye

A moth-eye diffraction grating is a grating designed to diserse light, and its designed is based off of the eye of a moth, as its name implies. It ralatively new technology, and is a form of both nanotechnology and biomimicry.

Background

Moths rely on their ability of camouflage to survive. As most moth's are nocturnal, they use this property of their eyes to disperse the light, so that a light does not reflect off of their eyes and give away their location. However, as they are nocturnal, they need plenty of light to enter their eye. This property of their eye increases the reception of photons, making the images clearer. When light hits the grid, it disperses the light, without decreasing the total amount of light entering the eye, thus decreasing the intensity of light on from a small source.

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Moths' eyes have an unusual property: their surfaces are covered with a natural nanostructured film which eliminates reflections, allowing the moth to see well in the dark, without reflections to give its location away to predators. Engineers have succeeded in making practical antireflection films using this effect. This is a form of biomimicry.