From nanoparticles to rainbow-colored surfaces
Natural Sciences

From nanoparticles to rainbow-colored surfaces

We're all familiar with rainbow colors - we often see them in the sky after a rainstorm. Sometimes you can also see them when you hold a glass prism up to sunlight. But did you know that rainbow colors can also be created in a chemistry lab? We'll show you how using micrometer- and nanometer-sized wrinkles that split the light into its colors.
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Start 17:00 o'clock
End 00:00 o'clock

At a glance

Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung IPF
Physikalische Chemie und Physik der Polymere
Leibniz-IPF
H10
Hohe Straße 6
01069 Dresden (Dresdner Süden)
Website YouTube

Description

We're all familiar with rainbow colors – we often see them in the sky after a rain shower. Sometimes you can also see them if you hold a glass prism up to sunlight. But did you know that rainbow colors can also be created in a chemistry lab?
We use a transparent, stretchable material – a so-called elastomer. This is first carefully stretched. Then, using physical or chemical methods, we apply a wafer-thin, hard layer to the surface. When the material slowly returns to its original shape, the hard layer cannot move with it – it is not elastic. This creates tiny wrinkles on the surface.
These micro- and nanometer-sized crinkles are called wrinkles. They are so small and regular that they bend visible light – a bit like a CD or a soap bubble. The light is split into its colors, and we see a dazzling rainbow pattern!

Information on the event format

Experiment Quiz Participate and do it yourself

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