BPI Seminar by Dr. Ahu Gümrah Dumanli-Parry

From Beetles to Biomimetic functional materials: Learning Nature's Rules for Scalable Photonic Self-Assembly

Location: CHBE #202, 2360 East Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4

Agenda

• 12:00 PM Introduction by Dr. Emily Cranston
• 12:05 PM Presentation by Dr. Ahu Gümrah Dumanli-Parry, Associate Professor in Materials Science, University of Manchester
• 12:45 PM Q&A

*Sandwiches and coffee will be provided.

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Abstract

From Beetles to Biomimetic functional materials: Learning Nature's Rules for Scalable Photonic Self-Assembly Beetles represent one of the most successful evolutionary life forms on Earth, with over 400,000 described species. Beyond their extraordinary diversity, they have evolved some of the most sophisticated optical materials found in nature. Their cuticles generate vivid colours, strong circular polarisation, broadband whiteness, and highly absorbing blacks through precisely organised structural architectures rather than pigments. Helicoidal chitin stacks in scarabs, multilayer reflectors in jewel beetles, and recently discovered dumbbell-like photonic structures demonstrate how a limited set of biological building blocks can generate remarkable optical functionality. 

What makes these systems particularly fascinating is not only their optical performance but also the way they are manufactured. Nature routinely assembles complex hierarchical photonic structures under ambient conditions using abundant, renewable materials. Through self-organisation across multiple length scales, molecular interactions are translated into nanoscale architectures and ultimately macroscopic optical functions. Despite significant advances in nanofabrication, engineering has yet to reproduce this combination of structural precision, scalability, multifunctionality, and sustainability. 

In this talk, I will explore how biological photonic systems can provide new design principles for functional materials. Rather than focusing solely on the resulting structures, I will discuss the underlying self-assembly processes that generate them and highlight outstanding questions surrounding chirality, disorder, and resonance in biological photonics. I will then present our work at the University of Manchester on cellulosebased self-assembling systems as model platforms for understanding and recreating biological photonic architectures. Cellulose nanocrystals spontaneously assemble into cholesteric structures capable of generating circularly polarised reflections [1,2] , while hydroxypropyl cellulose forms photonic mesophases that provide useful analogues for studying optical organisation observed in scarab beetles [3-5]. By combining selfassembly, co-assembly with functional nanoparticles, advanced optical characterisation, and modelling, we seek to understand how local interactions can be translated into large-scale optical function. 

Figure 1. 3d printed HPC filaments [4] showing highly ordered microstructure and the blue coloured Anoplognathus smaragdinus beetle displaying cholesteric order (scale 2 um) 

Finally, I will discuss emerging efforts to bridge biology, materials science, and photonics through collaborations that combine beetle-inspired discovery with sustainable materials design. By understanding how nature controls self-assembly across length scales, our overarching aim is to establish new routes towards scalable photonic materials, bio-inspired meta surfaces, and next-generation functional materials manufactured using nature's own design principles. 

References 

1. Dumanli, A.G., et al., ACS App Mat & Interfaces, 2014. 
2. Balcerowski, T. and A.G. Dumanli, Advanced Optical Materials, 2024. 
3. Werbowyj, R.S. and D.G. Gray, Macromolecules, 1984. 17(8): p. 1512-1520. 
4. Balcerowski T, et al., Small, 2023. 
5. Ren H, Sodipo L and A.G. Dumanli, ACS Applied Polymers, 2025

About the Speaker

Dr Ahu Dumanli-Parry is an Associate Prof in Materials Science at the University of Manchester, where she leads the Bioinspired Functional Materials (BioFUM) group. Her research sits at the intersection of materials science, biology, and design, focusing on bioinspired photonic systems, smart textiles, and sustainable packaging. She investigates how self-assembly in natural polymers like cellulose and chitin can be harnessed to develop scalable, responsive materials with low environmental impact. Ahu holds an MSc from the Middle East Technical University and a PhD from Sabanci University. Following her doctoral work, she joined the University of Cambridge as a post-doctoral researcher working in the Macromolecular Materials Laboratory with Prof. Alan Windle. She was later awared with a Schlumberger Faculty for the Future Fellow, working in the Cavendish Laboratory with Prof. Ulli Steiner and held a senior researh fellow role in Adolphe Merkle Institute in Switzerland. She joined Manchester as a bp-ICAM Kathleen Lonsdale Research Fellow in 2019 and continues to drive innovation in green, bottom-up materials manufacturing.

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