Chameleons have nanostructures in their skin that interact with light to create structural color. When the spacing between these nanostructures is changed, the light-matter interactions change. This is one of the mechanisms that allow chameleons to manipulate their color.

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Inspired by chameleons, I have been researching the optical properties of hemiellipsoidal nanopillar arrays for over four years, hoping to contribute fundamental understanding of structural color for applications such as colorimetric strain sensing. 

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Before conducting novel research, I trained in two-photon lithography in order to create 3D nanostructures of arbitrary shapes. In my first phase of novel research, I developed fabrication processes for flexible and precise 3D nanostructures. In my second phase of novel research, I developed fabrication processes to incorporate silver nanoparticles into these flexible nanostructures in the hopes of synergizing plasmonic and photonic optical properties. Some of the interesting phenomenon observed are described below: