Professor Soo-Seok Choi’s Research Team Develops Chameleon-Inspired Electronic Skin Using Stretchable Chiral Nanostructures – Published as an Inside Back Cover Article in Advanced Materials

A research team led by Professor Soo-Seok Choi from POSTECH’s Department of Electrical Engineering, consisting of PhD candidate Seung-Min Nam, master’s graduate Da-Hee Wang, master’s student Chae-Hyun Kwon, and PhD candidate Sang-Hyun Han, has developed the world’s first artificial chameleon-inspired electronic skin. This technology enables the control of diverse colors, wavelength separation, and transparency-to-translucency transitions using electrically stretchable chiral nano-scale liquid crystal structures. The study was recognized as a groundbreaking contribution and published as an Inside Back Cover article in Advanced Materials, the world’s leading journal for interdisciplinary research.

The skin of a chameleon displays vibrant colors by manipulating its unique nano-ordered structures and stretching its skin tissues. Inspired by this mechanism, researchers globally have been intensively studying nano-structural control to mimic these abilities artificially. Coupled with the rapid advancement of stretchable technology—considered the pinnacle of flexible electronics—there is growing global interest in developing foundational technologies for artificial electronic skins that integrate displays, optical sensors, and more.

This study marks the first successful implementation of comprehensive optical functionalities, including the precise control of color, wavelength separation, and transparency in a chameleon-inspired artificial electronic skin. The research is expected to significantly enhance practical applications in fields such as wearable displays, image sensors, electromagnetic wave control, and encryption technologies.

Supported by the Samsung Science & Technology Foundation, this study has the potential to drive future research and applications across diverse fields. The research team’s achievement highlights their significant contribution to advancing stretchable and flexible electronics.