By harnessing electron-beam patterning to control the swelling and contraction of a soft polymer, researchers created a material that can change both color and texture on demand.

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

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 ...

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

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 ...