To control color, the team sandwiched the polymer between two gold films. Light bounces off these films and interferes in ways that create various colors. When the polymer swells to varying extents in ...

Octopuses are the undisputed kings of camouflage. Whereas engineers have learned to mimic the colors, octopuses also match ...

Inspired by the remarkable camouflage abilities of octopus and cuttlefish, Stanford researchers have developed a soft material that can rapidly shift its surface texture and color at extremely fine ...

By harnessing electron-beam patterning to control the swelling and contraction of a soft polymer, researchers created a ...

Stanford researchers have developed a flexible material that can quickly change its surface texture and colors, offering potential applications in camouflage, art, robotics, and even nanoscale ...

Researchers have developed a flexible material that can quickly change its surface texture and colors, offering potential ...

In Stanford's laboratories, a team of engineers and physicists has succeeded in bringing to life materials inspired by a ...

The animals' camouflaging capabilities have long inspired humans. The new material could one day help researchers improve ...

Learn more about the polymer film that can change color and texture when electron beams are applied.

Octopus and cuttlefish are masters of disguise. Many species can rapidly change both the color and the texture of their skin – an ability that scientists have long sought to replicate with synthetic ...