Squid skin inspires the creation of a new generation space coverage

Inspired by the skin of stealthy marine creatures, engineers at the University of California at Irvine have come up with an adaptive new generation space blanket, which allows users to control their temperature. Innovation is detailed in a study published today in Nature Communications.

"Ultra-light space covers have been around for decades – you see marathon runners wrap around to prevent body heat loss after a run – but the main drawback is that the material is static," said the co – author Alon Gorodetsky, UCI Senior Lecturer in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. "We have created a version with variable properties so you can adjust the amount of heat trapped or released."

UCI researchers are inspired by different species of squid, octopus and cuttlefish that use their dynamic and adaptive skin to thrive in aquatic environments. The unique ability of a cephalopod to camouflage by rapidly changing color is due, in part, to skin cells called chromatophores, which can instantly pass from tiny dots to flattened disks.

"We use a similar concept in our work, where we have a layer of these tiny, metallic" islands "lining up," said lead author Erica Leung, a UCI graduate student in engineering. chemical and biomolecular. "In the relaxed state, the islands are grouped together and the material reflects and traps the heat, in the manner of a traditional Mylar spatial blanket.When the material is stretched, the islands separate, thus allowing the radiation infrared to escape and heat to escape. "

Gorodetsky said to have many other applications in mind for the new material: as reflective inserts in buildings to provide an insulating layer that adapts to different environmental conditions; make tents that would be exceptionally good to ensure the comfort of the occupants outside; and to effectively manage the temperature of valuable electronic components.

The clothing would be a particularly appropriate application for the new bio-inspired material, according to Gorodetsky, who is collaborating on research projects with counterparts of underwear manufacturer Under Armor Inc.

"The temperature at which people feel comfortable in an office is slightly different for everyone.Where a person can feel good at 70 degrees, the person from the neighboring office might prefer the 75 degrees," did he declare. "Our invention could result in clothes that adapt to the comfort of each person in the interior.This could result in potential savings of 30 to 40% on energy consumption for heating and cooling. air conditioning."

And marathon runners who wrap themselves in space blankets might be able to grab a number on a built-in user interface to get the desired level of thermal comfort, maximizing performance during races and then recovering.

Other benefits mentioned by Leung include the light weight of the material, ease of use, low manufacturing cost and durability. She noted that it can be stretched and found back to its original state thousands of times.