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Harry Potter’s iconic “Invisibility Cloak” could perhaps be within our sight.
Chinese scientists have devised a camouflage material that adjusts its molecular composition to blend into the background, potentially rendering the wearer imperceptible to the naked eye. They detailed this cutting-edge cloaking technology in a study published last month in the journal Science Advances.
“Applying this technology to clothing could make an individual effectively ‘invisible’,” head researcher Wang Dongsheng of China’s University of Electronic Science and Technology told China Science Daily in an interview last week, the South China Morning Post reported.
The material’s disappearing act is facilitated by a process called self-adaptive photochromism, or SAP, in which the molecules rearrange when exposed to certain wavelengths of light. This causes the substance to change color and effectively become unseeable, the Independent reported.
Think of it as the synthetic version of a chameleon or octopus’ natural cloaking mechanism.
Instead of hair-trigger color-changing cells like in a cephalopod, SAP materials consist of organic dyes and molecules called donor-acceptor Stenhouse adducts, which transform their chemical and structural makeup when exposed to light.
Initially appearing black in the dark, this solution spontaneously shifts pigment “upon triggering by transmitted and reflected light in the background,” the scientists write.
To assess its efficacy, researchers placed a translucent container of the SAP solution in boxes of different colors including red, green, yellow, and black. They found that the substance adjusted its hue accordingly.
In a second test, the chameleonic material was placed in an environment with red, green, or yellow plant clusters in the background, prompting it to melt into its surroundings within a minute.
SAP materials are more effective and convenient than manmade invisibility systems that rely on external power sources and intricate electronics to work.
Not to mention that these techs’ complexity and heavy price tags limit their potential for widespread use.
By contrast, scientists can simply use SAP as a spray-on coating.
Researchers added polycaprolactone — a biodegradable polyester — to the substance to develop chemicals that can be squirted onto various surfaces, effectively transferring this cloaking power to solids with the push of a button.
Researchers foresee the technology having a range of applications, ranging from architecture to the military and even “anti-counterfeiting technology,” researchers write.
Scientists hope to expand SAP’s color palate to incorporate purple and blue, which aren’t included in the current iteration.
“By adding more photochromic molecules or adjusting its composition, we aim to achieve finer distinctions in color and faster changing speed,” Dr. Wang declared.
