Silver-coated cicada wing amplifies molecular signals millions of times

By coating a cicada wing with an extremely thin layer of silver, researchers in Taiwan have created a highly sensitive optical sensor that can boost very weak molecular signals by tens of millions of times.The findings, published in the journal AIP Advances, show how natural structures found in living organisms can replace expensive manufacturing methods used to build high-precision chemical sensors.Lead author Chung-Hung Hong, working with Cheng-Wei Kuo and Hui-Hsin Hsiao from China Medical University and National Taiwan University, said the team wanted to combine "biology's intrinsic nanoscale design" with standard thin-film coating techniques.Instead of spending time and money creating complex nano-patterns in specialised cleanrooms, the researchers used a natural structure that has already been perfected through millions of years of evolution.Nature's hidden structure boosts light signalsTo the naked eye, the wing of the empress cicada (Megapomponia imperatoria) looks like a thin, transparent membrane.