Enhanced Light Scattering Using a Two-Dimensional Quasicrystal-Decorated 3D-Printed Nature-Inspired Bio-photonic Architecture

A number of strategies have been exploited so far to trap photons inside living cells to obtain high-contrast imaging. Also, launching light inside biological materials is technically challenging. Using photon confinement in a three-dimensional (3D)-printed biomimetic architecture in the presence of a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) promoter can overcome some of these issues. This work compares optical confinement in natural and 3D-printed photonic architectures, namely, fish scale, in the presence of atomically thin Al 70 Co 10 Fe 5 Ni 10 Cu 5 quasicrystals (QCs). Due to their wideband LSPR response, the QCs work as photon scattering hotspots. The architecture acts as an additive source of excitation for the two-dimensional (2D) QCs via total internal reflection (TIR). The computational analysis describes the surface plasmon-based scattering property of 2D QCs. The 3D-printed fish scale’s image contrast with the 2D Al 70 Co 10 Fe 5 Ni 10 Cu 5 QC has been compared with other 2D materials (graphene, h-BN, and MoS 2 ) and outperforms them. The present study conceptually presents a new approach for obtaining high-quality imaging of biological imaging, even using high-energy photons.