Smart skins that change color benefit from an upgrade thanks to chameleons

Chameleons can change color with photonic crystals in their skin. When they contract or relax their muscles, the light is reflected in a different way, resulting in a color change. The problem of changing color synthetic skin lies in the hydrogel in which the photonic crystals are packed: after expansion and contraction, the large amount of crystals would seize the medium. Khalid Salaita and his colleagues have solved this problem by concluding that less is more.

The team viewed accelerated skin-changing skin of chameleons and realized that reptiles had fewer skin cells with photonic crystals than previously thought. By compacting fewer photonic crystals in a thin layer of hydrogel and then placing this slice on a larger layer of colorless hydrogel, the smart skin can expand and contract without problems. When the temperature changes or sunlight hits the surface, the material changes color.

ACS Nano, a nanotechnology-based peer-reviewed journal in which this study was published, notes that smart skin may have applications in camouflage, signage and the fight against counterfeiting. Meanwhile, MIT's changing color ink could allow users to change the patterns and colors of their shoes, cars, and so on. Choosing a color for an expensive gadget, such as a smartphone, can be stressful. you will have to live with this choice for years. But with smart skin, we could eventually be able to change the colors of our gadgets as often as we would exchange our wallpapers.