All-metal nanostructured substrates as subtractive color reflectors with near-perfect absorptance

All-metal structures consisting of nanoprotrusions on a bulk silver layer are theoretically investigated and shown to have narrow near-perfect absorption peaks (>95%). Within the constraints of constant nanostructure height (50 nm) and pitch (250 nm), these peaks are tunable across the visible spectrum by adjusting the width and shape of the protrusion. The peaks are caused by localized surface plasmon resonances leading to dissipation on the surface of the protrusions. As the peaks occur in the visible range, they produce subtractive colors with high saturation, in accordance with Schrodinger’s rule for maximum pigment purity.