IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v15y2024i1d10.1038_s41467-024-49849-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Chameleon-inspired tunable multi-layered infrared-modulating system via stretchable liquid metal microdroplets in elastomer film

Author

Listed:
  • Yingyue Zhang

    (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Hanrui Zhu

    (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Shun An

    (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Wenkui Xing

    (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Benwei Fu

    (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    National Engineering Research Center of Special Equipment and Power System for Ship and Marine Engineering)

  • Peng Tao

    (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    National Engineering Research Center of Special Equipment and Power System for Ship and Marine Engineering)

  • Wen Shang

    (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Jianbo Wu

    (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Michael D. Dickey

    (North Carolina State University)

  • Chengyi Song

    (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    National Engineering Research Center of Special Equipment and Power System for Ship and Marine Engineering)

  • Tao Deng

    (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    Shanghai Jiao Tong University
    National Engineering Research Center of Special Equipment and Power System for Ship and Marine Engineering)

Abstract

This report presents liquid metal-based infrared-modulating materials and systems with multiple modes to regulate the infrared reflection. Inspired by the brightness adjustment in chameleon skin, shape-morphing liquid metal droplets in silicone elastomer (Ecoflex) matrix are used to resemble the dispersed “melanophores”. In the system, Ecoflex acts as hormone to drive the deformation of liquid metal droplets. Both total and specular reflectance-based infrared camouflage are achieved. Typically, the total and specular reflectances show change of ~44.8% and 61.2%, respectively, which are among the highest values reported for infrared camouflage. Programmable infrared encoding/decoding is explored by adjusting the concentration of liquid metal and applying areal strains. By introducing alloys with different melting points, temperature-dependent infrared painting/writing can be achieved. Furthermore, the multi-layered structure of infrared-modulating system is designed, where the liquid metal-based infrared modulating materials are integrated with an evaporated metallic film for enhanced performance of such system.

Suggested Citation

  • Yingyue Zhang & Hanrui Zhu & Shun An & Wenkui Xing & Benwei Fu & Peng Tao & Wen Shang & Jianbo Wu & Michael D. Dickey & Chengyi Song & Tao Deng, 2024. "Chameleon-inspired tunable multi-layered infrared-modulating system via stretchable liquid metal microdroplets in elastomer film," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-49849-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49849-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-49849-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-024-49849-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yan Jia & Dongqing Liu & Desui Chen & Yizheng Jin & Chen Chen & Jundong Tao & Haifeng Cheng & Shen Zhou & Baizhang Cheng & Xinfei Wang & Zhen Meng & Tianwen Liu, 2023. "Transparent dynamic infrared emissivity regulators," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Shun An & Hanrui Zhu & Chunzhi Guo & Benwei Fu & Chengyi Song & Peng Tao & Wen Shang & Tao Deng, 2022. "Noncontact human-machine interaction based on hand-responsive infrared structural color," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Jérémie Teyssier & Suzanne V. Saenko & Dirk van der Marel & Michel C. Milinkovitch, 2015. "Photonic crystals cause active colour change in chameleons," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-7, May.
    4. Erica M. Leung & Melvin Colorado Escobar & George T. Stiubianu & Steven R. Jim & Alexandra L. Vyatskikh & Zhijing Feng & Nicholas Garner & Priyam Patel & Kyle L. Naughton & Maurizio Follador & Emil Ka, 2019. "A dynamic thermoregulatory material inspired by squid skin," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Yang Jin & Yiliang Lin & Abolfazl Kiani & Ishan D. Joshipura & Mingqiao Ge & Michael D. Dickey, 2019. "Materials tactile logic via innervated soft thermochromic elastomers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    6. Svetlana A. Chechetka & Yue Yu & Xu Zhen & Manojit Pramanik & Kanyi Pu & Eijiro Miyako, 2017. "Light-driven liquid metal nanotransformers for biomedical theranostics," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-19, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Russell A Ligon & Kevin J McGraw, 2018. "A chorus of color: hierarchical and graded information content of rapid color change signals in chameleons," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 29(5), pages 1075-1087.
    2. Qiwei Li & Zaozao Chen & Ying Zhang & Shuang Ding & Haibo Ding & Luping Wang & Zhuoying Xie & Yifu Fu & Mengxiao Wei & Shengnan Liu & Jialun Chen & Xuan Wang & Zhongze Gu, 2023. "Imaging cellular forces with photonic crystals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    3. Jicheng Niu & Wenjing Liu & Jasmine Xinze Li & Xianglong Pang & Yulin Liu & Chao Zhang & Keyang Yue & Yulin Zhou & Feng Xu & Xiaoguang Li & Fei Li, 2023. "Machining water through laser cutting of nanoparticle-encased water pancakes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    4. Pei Zhang & Iek Man Lei & Guangda Chen & Jingsen Lin & Xingmei Chen & Jiajun Zhang & Chengcheng Cai & Xiangyu Liang & Ji Liu, 2022. "Integrated 3D printing of flexible electroluminescent devices and soft robots," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    5. Avital Wagner & Alexander Upcher & Raquel Maria & Thorolf Magnesen & Einat Zelinger & Graça Raposo & Benjamin A. Palmer, 2023. "Macromolecular sheets direct the morphology and orientation of plate-like biogenic guanine crystals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    6. FuYao Sun & LongFei Liu & Tong Liu & XueBin Wang & Qi Qi & ZuSheng Hang & Kai Chen & JianHua Xu & JiaJun Fu, 2023. "Vascular smooth muscle-inspired architecture enables soft yet tough self-healing materials for durable capacitive strain-sensor," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Lin Lu & Bo Wu & Xinyuan He & Fen Zhao & Xing Feng & Dong Wang & Zijie Qiu & Ting Han & Zheng Zhao & Ben Zhong Tang, 2024. "Multiple photofluorochromic luminogens via catalyst-free alkene oxidative cleavage photoreaction for dynamic 4D codes encryption," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    8. Matthew Wei Ming Tan & Hyunwoo Bark & Gurunathan Thangavel & Xuefei Gong & Pooi See Lee, 2022. "Photothermal modulated dielectric elastomer actuator for resilient soft robots," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    9. Jinrong Wang & Weibin Lin & Zhuo Chen & Valeriia O. Nikolaeva & Lukman O. Alimi & Niveen M. Khashab, 2024. "Smart touchless human–machine interaction based on crystalline porous cages," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    10. Yang Hu & Chenze Qi & Dekun Ma & Dongpeng Yang & Shaoming Huang, 2024. "Multicolor recordable and erasable photonic crystals based on on-off thermoswitchable mechanochromism toward inkless rewritable paper," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    11. Wang, Xuanjie & Narayan, Shankar, 2022. "Thermal radiative switching interface for energy-efficient temperature control," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 574-582.
    12. Tyler R. Stevens & Nathan B. Crane & Rydge B. Mulford, 2023. "Topology Morphing Insulation: A Review of Technologies and Energy Performance in Dynamic Building Insulation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-38, October.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-49849-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.