Chameleon-Inspired Strain-Accommodating Smart Skin.
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ABSTRACT: Stimuli-responsive color-changing hydrogels, commonly colored using embedded photonic crystals (PCs), have potential applications ranging from chemical sensing to camouflage and anti-counterfeiting. A major limitation in these PC hydrogels is that they require significant deformation (>20%) in order to change the PC lattice constant and generate an observable chromatic shift (?100 nm). By analyzing the mechanism of how chameleon skin changes color, we developed a strain-accommodating smart skin (SASS), which maintains near-constant size during chromatic shifting. SASS is composed of two types of hydrogels: a stimuli-responsive, PC-containing hydrogel that is patterned within a second hydrogel with robust mechanical properties, which permits strain accommodation. In contrast to conventional "accordion"-type PC responsive hydrogels, SASS maintains near-constant volume during chromatic shifting. Importantly, SASS materials are stretchable (strain ?150%), amenable to patterning, spectrally tunable, and responsive to both heat and natural sunlight. We demonstrate examples of using SASS for biomimicry. Our strategy, to embed responsive materials within a mechanically matched scaffolding polymer, provides a general framework to guide the future design of artificial smart skins.
SUBMITTER: Dong Y
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6941885 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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