Oil Droplets Reflect Color (IMAGE)

Penn State

Oil Droplets Reflect Color

Caption

A Petri dish containing transparent droplet emulsions made from a mixture of oils of different density and water-based surfactants photographed from different angles. When illuminated with white light the oil droplets reflect different colors dependent on the viewing direction. New research explains how this "structural color" is formed based on the size and curvature of the droplets, along with the droplet's total internal reflection.

Credit

Zarzar laboratory, Penn State

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