タコのように色と質感が変化する新素材(New material changes color and texture like an octopus)

2026-01-07 スタンフォード大学

スタンフォード大学の研究チームは、タコやイカのカモフラージュ能力を模倣した柔軟な材料を開発した。この材料は、表面の色とテクスチャ(質感)を動的に変化させることが可能で、特定の液体に浸すことでナノスケールの膨張・収縮が誘起される仕組みを持つ。この柔らかいポリマー材料は、電子線リソグラフィーで微細パターンを施すことで、必要に応じて凹凸(テクスチャ)を出したり戻したりでき、金属薄膜と組み合わせることで色の変化も制御する。乾燥状態では平坦だが、水に浸すと立体的な形状や鮮やかな色を現し、アルコール溶液では再び平坦になる。この色と質感を独立して制御する技術は、ロボティクス・カモフラージュ技術・柔軟ディスプレイ・ナノフォトニクスなど幅広い応用の可能性を持つ。将来的にはコンピュータビジョンと連携し、背景に自動的に同化する動的カモフラージュや着るディスプレイなどの実現も期待される。

タコのように色と質感が変化する新素材(New material changes color and texture like an octopus)
Time-lapse of the evolution of color patterns in a soft photonic skin sample. | Siddharth Doshi

<関連情報>

ダイナミックな質感と色彩制御を備えたソフトフォトニックスキン Soft photonic skins with dynamic texture and colour control

Siddharth Doshi,Nicholas A. Güsken,Gerwin Dijk,Johan Carlström,Jennifer E. Ortiz-Cárdenas,Peter Suzuki,Bohan Li,Polly M. Fordyce,Alberto Salleo,Nicholas A. Melosh & Mark L. Brongersma
Nature  Published:07 January 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09948-2

Abstract

The visual appearances of surfaces are influenced by their colour and texture. Although the creation and tuning of structural colours has been realized with nanostructures1,2, achieving dynamic control over visual texture3,4 remains challenging. Inspired by dynamic modulation of cephalopod skin5,6, we develop polymer films with programmable surface textures. We bring these textures to life through immersion in different liquids that cause reversible local swelling/contraction to a degree that is determined by electron-beam irradiation. We show how standard electron-beam patterning tools can spatially encode arbitrary textures that can be hidden and shown on demand. Similarly, by modulating the topography of optical Fabry–Pérot cavities, we create colour patterns that can be continuously tuned with microfluidic control to achieve several distinct appearance states, allowing them to camouflage with different backgrounds. Finally, by creating multilayer devices, we demonstrate independent control of texture and colour in a single device, enabling a higher level of dynamic control over visual appearance.

 

電気化学的に変化可能なソフトメタサーフェス Electrochemically mutable soft metasurfaces

Siddharth Doshi,Anqi Ji,Ali I. Mahdi,Scott T. Keene,Skyler P. Selvin,Philippe Lalanne,Eric A. Appel,Nicholas A. Melosh & Mark L. Brongersma
Nature Materials  Published:13 November 2024
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-02042-4

Abstract

Active optical metasurfaces, capable of dynamically manipulating light in ultrathin form factors, enable novel interfaces between humans and technology. In such interfaces, soft materials bring many advantages based on their flexibility, compliance and large stimulus-driven responses. Here, we create electrochemically mutable, soft metasurfaces that capitalize on the swelling of soft conducting polymers to alter the shape and associated resonant response of metasurface elements. Such geometric tuning overcomes the typical trade-off between achieving substantial tuning and low optical loss that is intrinsic to dynamic metasurfaces relying on index tuning of materials. Using the commercial polymer PEDOT:PSS, we demonstrate dynamic, high-resolution colour tuning and high-diffraction-efficiency (>19%) beam-steering devices that operate at CMOS-compatible voltages (~1.5 V). These results highlight how the deformability of soft materials can enable a class of high-performance metasurfaces that are suitable for body-worn technologies.

1700応用理学一般
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