Chameleon-inspired active tunable structural color based on smart skin with multi-functions of structural color, sensing and actuation

Tunable structural color has many potential applications in artificial camouflage, mechanical sensors, etc. Despite the extensive efforts to develop efficient tunable structural color, there is still a wide gap between the existing passive tuning methods and the active strategy found on organisms such as chameleons that can change color according to the environment. Inspired by the active tunable color system of chameleons, we propose a smart skin comprising a nanoscale hole array of photonic crystals, carbon nanotube coatings, and liquid crystal elastomers, to integrate multiple functions, i.e., structural color tunability, sensing, and actuation, in one structure. The smart skin was further coupled with an image acquisition unit (which mimics eyes to obtain colors from the environment) and a controller (which mimics the brain to process the signals transmitted from the image acquisition unit to the smart skin), to construct an active tunable structural color system. The proposed system autonomously modulates the color according to the environmental color. To validate the color tuning, color scanning from red to green to blue or vice versa is demonstrated in this work, which could certainly open up new paths to create active tunable structural color systems, and thus, push the development of structural color-based devices and systems.

Automated summary

This study proposes a smart skin system inspired by the active color-changing mechanism of chameleons. By integrating a nanoscale hole array of photonic crystals, carbon nanotube coatings, and liquid crystal elastomers, the smart skin achieves structural color tunability, sensing, and actuation. The system autonomously modulates the color according to the environmental color and successfully demonstrates color scanning from red to green to blue. This research opens up new paths for creating active tunable structural color systems and promotes the development of structural color-based devices and systems.