Issue 16/2019 - Breakthrough in the development of new materials for discoloration and deformation

The research and development of new materials for color change and deformation has made a breakthrough in the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently announced that the research team of Du Xuemin of the Chinese Academy has developed a
new material that can change color and deform according to needs by imitating chameleons, snakes and other creatures, which is expected to be used in the field of
robotics.
The research results were published in the professional journal of materials science under the international authoritative journal
"Cell".

Du Xuemin introduced that there are many neatly arranged nanoparticles in the skin of chameleons, and when the skin relaxes or contracts, the spacing of the nanoparticles will change, thereby changing the reflection effect of light, showing a color change
visible to the naked eye.
Researchers have made a film material similar to the nanostructure of chameleon skin, and the length of time the material is exposed to specific solvent vapors can achieve different color changes
.
At the same time, the researchers also imitated the movement of snakes and earthworms to make the new material "move"
.
When the thickness of the solution vapor and the material itself meet certain conditions, the material can have both discoloration and deformation, which is a major breakthrough
in this research.
In the future, the new materials designed by this concept are expected to be applied to special robots to realize real-time interaction
between robots and the environment.