Octopus inspires optoelectronic camouflage material
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028183
BBC : Inspired by the color-changing abilities of octopuses and other cephalopods, researchers have been developing a paper-thin flexible sheet composed of 1-mm-square cells containing a temperature-controlled dye. Just as octopus skin has a three-layer design, so, too, does the new material. A grid of photosensors is overlain with a layer of “actuators” that produce a current, which causes the temperature-sensitive pigment in the top layer to change from black to transparent. Although less efficient and having fewer color choices than the animals that inspired it, the new material nevertheless represents a first step toward a new class of material that could find use in the military and any number of other applications.
