This week in adhesives news, scientists in China have developed a polymer that changes from green to brown when a low electric charge is applied. The scientists tested the new polymer on cloth, the idea being that soldiers’ camouflage could change depending on their environment.

Wei Huang and Hong Meng, along with a research team at Nanjing Tech University, developed the polymer using a conductive fabric as the electrode to provide the changing charge. The polymer can change color in about 1-1.5 seconds and has a lifespan of 1,000 repetitions. The polymer also absorbs IR radiation so that it may conceal body heat, and is hydrophobic, so as not to wash out of the fabric.

Read the full story here.

Other news stories from around the web:

1)      Could Polymers Regenerate Teeth?

2)      Researchers Develop Tougher Plastic with 50% Renewable Content

3)      Electrically Conductive Adhesives Enabling Low Temperature Electronics

4)      Turning E. coli into Bio-Plastics for Medical Applications

Are you interested in news stories on a particular topic? Send your suggestions to Morgan Laidlaw at laidlawm@bnpmedia.com.