Figure 3.

Colloidal/nanosphere lithography on chitin substrate derived from the wing of the periodic 17-year cicada Brood II Magicicada septendecim. (A) A nanosphere mask on the chitin substrate. Notice the filaments emanating from the chitin surface to the nanospheres, and the presence of a fibrous network on the nanospheres (as noted by the arrows); (B) An array of chitin nanocones after the etching process. The inset shows the presence of longitudinal ridges along the nanocones; (C) The array of chitin nanocones after incubation in an aqueous solution; note the loss of organization in the array and the structure of the nanocones.