Artificial leather has been produced in the UK that can change its color when exposed to light or heat, which can be used in many different areas, such as camouflage or giant screens.
A research team at the University of Cambridge, who developed artificial leather, said that artificial leather consists of nanoparticles covered with a compressed polymer material, small water drops in oil. When these nanoparticles are exposed to light or heat, they dissolve in the surrounding polymer sheath and change color.
According to the news of DPA, the results of this study were published in the scientific journal Advanced Materials.
Some creatures in nature, such as chameleons, and some fish species can change their color with the pigments found in their skin cells. The skin layers found in these creatures contain elastic fibers to transport pigments under the skin. Here the pigments are diffused to change color or withdrawn from the skin layers to return to their former natural color.
The technique developed by Cambridge researchers is based on the same foundation. But instead of elastic fibers, the researchers used very sensitive techniques that produce light-sensitive color changes.
According to the news of the science and technology site ScienceDaily, nanoparticles store a large amount of energy in milliseconds when the temperature of the skin rises to 32 degrees Celsius. The cover made of polymer explodes and the water inside comes out. This allows the molecules to combine and thus change the color of the artificial leather.
When the material cools, the polymer sheaths reabsorb water and the nanoparticles split. Thus, the skin returns to its original color.
A researcher at Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory, Dr. "Placing nanoparticles in small droplets allows us to control the size and shape of the material, and make significant color changes," said Andrew Salmon, regarding their work.
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