Synthetic Chromatophores for Color and Pattern Morphing Skins (Adv. Mater. 35/2025)

Hydrogel-Based Synthetic Chromatophores In article number 2505104, Stephen A. Morin and co-workers use dyed arrays of microscale hydrogels to emulate biological chromatophores found in cephalopods. These synthetic chromatophores expand and contract when stimulated, enabling skins with dynamic colors and patterns. By combining the optical and mechanical properties of the chromatophores, the team produced actuation systems that signal their environmental condition through color and morphology, simultaneously.