"most striking achievement was a photonic skin in which color and texture could be independently controlled, mirroring the separate regulation... in octopuses."
"This concept could be extended to soft robots or adaptive architectural facades that modulate their reflectivity in response to environmental stimuli. By designing how matter interacts with light, scientists are beginning to imbue materials with the ability to disguise, reveal and perform - much like the living organisms that continue to inspire us,"
A thin-film synthetic skin mimics natural camouflage by changing apparent texture and color independently. Electron beams write patterns into a swelling polymer, controlling where and how the material expands when exposed to water. The polymer PEDOT:PSS provides water-induced swelling that is locally tuned by electron irradiation to create surface textures. Thin gold layers convert surface topography into tunable optical effects; a single gold layer scatters light to produce a matte, textured look, while a polymer film sandwiched between two gold layers forms an optical cavity that selectively reflects color. Applications include dynamic camouflage, soft robotics, adaptive facades, and advanced displays.
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