Intelligent Biomimetic Chameleon Skin with Excellent Self-Healing and Electrochromic Properties

Abstract

Animals such as chameleons possess a natural ability to adjust their skin color as a preventive measure to deter any potential threat and to self-heal damaged skin tissues. Inspired by this, we present here a copolymer film possessing biomimetic properties that simultaneously integrates electrochromic triphenylamine and self-healing Diels-Alder groups. The flexible and stretchable copolymer film acts like natural chameleon skin, which exhibits significant color variation and also possesses excellent self-healing properties. These remarkable features make it a promising material for overcoming the crack-generation issue inherited by conventional biomimetic chameleon skin. Moreover, a flexible and wearable skin device based on the copolymer film with silver fabric as a electrode has also been fabricated. The electrochromic and self-healing properties were verified for the copolymer film, and it has been elucidated that the intelligent biomimetic "chameleon skin" was a new step toward the development of highly advanced biomimetic materials and devices.