Yau, Shimmering wood - Experimenting with nanocellulose-based structural colour

Structural colour refers to the colouring that arises from the interaction of light with nanostructures. For example, the vivid, shiny, metallic-looking blue colour on the surface of morpho butterflies' wing is created when light interacts with nanostructures, resulting in the perception of colour by the human eye. Shiny and glittery colour effects are linked to structural colours; however, they are often produced using materials made from metals, plastics, minerals or their combinations. The need for renewable, environmentally friendly colourants is growing, and in this context, the possibility of making bio-based structural colours has also received attention. This thesis researches nanocellulose-based structural colour (CNC SC) through the Shimmering Wood material development case. The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between design and materials science. CNC SC has been studied since the 1990s, but the research has mainly focused on the colourant's technical properties and applications, such as developing various optical sensors. Meanwhile, the aesthetics and appearance of the colourant have not received the same attention.