Abstract: Natural photonic structure with tunable structural colours is one of the most miraculous structures which always catches our eyes. However, the application of artificial photonic structures is limited. Moreover, because of the ability of tunable colours, photonic structure is the excellent candidate for many fields, such as sensor, bioassay, anti-counterfeiting, optical components, photocatalytic, fibers and fabrics. Considering the superior tunable optical property and other excellent performance such as robust mechanical strength, wettability, there are new domains and novel routes for this material that deserve us to explore. In this review, some natural photonic structures are discussed. Some novel fabrication methods and applications will be mentioned in this article. Furthermore, this review provides an insight and outlook for the photonic material with tunable colours focusing on fabrication, design and applications.

Key words: tunable structural colours, photonic structure, micro-nano structures, biomimetic material, structural colours