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Recreating the chameleon: Material mimics color changes of living organisms

Date:
June 27, 2018
Source:
Nagoya University
Summary:
Researchers created a material containing photochromic dyes, crystals providing structural coloration, and a colored background that mimics the color changes that animals such as frogs, chameleons, and octopuses can display. This material could display different patterns and images depending on whether it was exposed to visible or ultraviolet light, or had a white or black background, which suggests its potential application in a range of next-generation display technologies.
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Researchers at Nagoya University develop a composite material that, by adjusting its composition and exposing it to different types of light, can mimic animals' changes in color.

Nagoya, Japan -- A range of creatures, including chameleons, octopuses, and frogs, can change color in response to changes in the environment. Some insights into the mechanisms behind this at the anatomical, cellular, and molecular levels have been obtained. However, much work is still required to obtain sufficient understanding of this phenomenon and to translate it into useful artificial applications.

As reported in the journal Small, researchers at Nagoya University's Department of Molecular Design and Engineering developed a material containing dyes and crystals that can change the colors and patterns it displays depending on the background color used within it and its exposure to visible or ultraviolet light. 

The team was inspired to develop this material by findings obtained in the skin of certain frogs, in which different layers of cells with different properties combine to enable remarkable color changes.

Each component of this novel material plays a key role in its color properties. For example, the dyes contribute their inherent colors to the material's appearance, which can be adjusted by mixing them to different extents. These dyes also include those that change color upon exposure to light.

Spherical crystals were also introduced into the system, which rather than influencing the color through their inherent pigmentation affect it through their microscopic structures that can directly interfere with light. Finally, a black pigment and different background colors were employed to alter the colors the other components of the system display.

"We examined the influences of the different components in the system, such as by changing the size of the crystals, switching the background from white to black, or performing exposure to visible or ultraviolet light," corresponding author Yukikazu Takeoka says. "We found these changes resulted in different colors being displayed across the material, resembling the way in which some organisms can change color in response to various factors in their environment."

"This is an exciting stage in this field of study, as we are increasingly able to adapt the color-changing mechanisms that some animals use to artificial devices," study first author Miki Sakai adds. "If these artificial color-changing materials can equal or surpass the vibrant displays that some animals such as octopuses and frogs make, it could have exciting applications in the development of new display technologies."


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Materials provided by Nagoya University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Miki Sakai, Takahiro Seki, Yukikazu Takeoka. Bioinspired Color Materials Combining Structural, Dye, and Background Colors. Small, 2018; 1800817 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201800817

Cite This Page:

Nagoya University. "Recreating the chameleon: Material mimics color changes of living organisms." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 June 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180627075611.htm>.
Nagoya University. (2018, June 27). Recreating the chameleon: Material mimics color changes of living organisms. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 27, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180627075611.htm
Nagoya University. "Recreating the chameleon: Material mimics color changes of living organisms." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180627075611.htm (accessed March 27, 2024).

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