By etching tiny ridges into a 120-nanometer-thick layer of silicon embedded in a flexible membrane, scientists have created a reflective material that can shift from green to orange when stretched, according to a study published last week (March 13) in Optica.
Rather than rely on a chemical composition change to alter an object’s color, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, instead modified the material’s surface to guide its interactions with different wavelengths of light. Last week, researchers showed that a similar mechanism could partially explain the rapid color changes of chameleons, the animals that inspired the new material.
Previously, materials were designed to select particular wavelengths of light using narrow slits, but this approach made the colors dim. Instead, the Berkeley team etched ridges ...
