At present, Professor Feng Wei's team of @Tianjin University has successfully developed new smart materials. The new material not only changes color, but also has shape memory and self-healing functions. The study was selected as the cover article of the international journal German Applied Chemistry.

Inspired by the intelligent color-changing mechanism of chameleons in nature, the researchers introduced the dynamic covalent borate bond into the main chain cholesteric liquid crystal elastomer, and used the dynamic B-O bond exchange characteristics of thermal excitation to realize the controllable programming of any color and three-dimensional shape of the color-changing film, and its shape and color can be reversible by changing the temperature. Successfully developed a new smart material - "intelligent color-changing liquid crystal polymer film".

According to reports, the new material is only 200 microns thick, and has both force chromism, shape programming and excellent room temperature self-healing ability: it can change color when stretched; After being cut off, add a few drops of water to the fracture, and after a period of time, the material can be healed again, thus having a longer service life. The material also has "memory programming" properties that allow it to be stretched into any two-dimensional or three-dimensional shape and remain unchanged, returning to its original shape when the material is heated above the phase transition temperature. (Science and Technology Daily reporter Chen Xi correspondent Jiao Defang)