Real-life ‘curse of invisibility’ one step closer – scientists unveil latest camouflage material

Harry Potter’s iconic “Invisibility Cloak” may be within our sight.

Chinese scientists have invented a camouflage material that adjusts its molecular composition to blend into the background, making it invisible to the naked eye. They detailed this latest wearable technology in a study published last month in the journal Science Advances.

“The application of this technology to clothing can effectively make an individual ‘invisible,'” said lead researcher Wang Dongsheng of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in an interview with China Science Daily last week, the South China Morning Post reported.

The act of disappearing material is facilitated by a process called self-adaptive photochromism, or SAP, in which molecules rearrange themselves when exposed to certain wavelengths of light. This causes the substance to change color and effectively become invisible, the Independent reported.

Think of it as the synthetic version of a chameleon’s or octopus’s natural coat mechanism.

Instead of the color-changing cells that give rise to hair, as in a cephalopod, SAP materials consist of organic dyes and donor-acceptor molecules called Stenhouse adducts, which transform their chemical and structural makeup when exposed to light.

Initially appearing black in the dark, this solution spontaneously displaces the pigment “as it is driven by transmitted and reflected background light,” the scientists write.

To assess its efficacy, the researchers placed a transparent container of SAP solution in boxes of different colors including red, green, yellow and black. They found that the substance adjusted its color accordingly.

In a second test, the chameleon material was placed in an environment with clusters of red, green, or yellow plants in the background, causing it to melt into its environment within a minute.

SAP materials are more effective and convenient than man-made stealth systems that rely on external power sources and complicated electronics to operate.

Not to mention that the complexity of these technologies and heavy prices limit their potential for widespread use.

In contrast, scientists can simply use SAP as a spray coating.

The researchers added polycaprolactone—a biodegradable polyester—to the substance to develop chemicals that can be cast onto various surfaces, effectively transferring this covering power to solids at the push of a button.

The researchers envision the technology to have a variety of applications, ranging from architecture to the military and even “anti-counterfeiting technology,” the researchers write.

Scientists hope to expand SAP’s color palate to include purple and blue, which are not included in the current iteration.

“By adding more photochromic molecules or adjusting its composition, we aim to achieve finer color differences and faster rates of change,” said Dr. Wang.